The Cat's Claws
by PhynxLegion
Summary: Katherine "Kitty" Pryde gets a different start. Taking a divergent path far from the X-men and the drama they bring, her future has no resemblance to what has come before. Manipulated at a young age, her future seemed random and without purpose, while powerful forces hover just out of sight secretly guiding her to the stars.
1. Chapter 1

**The Cat's Claws**

 **Prologue: Birth of the Shadow Cat**

Laying naked in the fluidic bed of the infusion chamber, Katherine Pryde relaxes as her body finishes recovering from the final Vibranium treatment. With the last of her organs regenerating, she was happy she was breathing comfortably. The terror of blacking out as her lungs were vaporized from the molten metal combining with her ribs was but one of thousands of memories she could live without. Glancing around the laboratory, she sees her closest friend and confidant Maria Gonzales laying back on a parallel table recovering from the ordeal as well. Dressed in a hospital gown and covered in sweat, she is visibly exhausted and pants as she tries to recover from the past six hours of work on Katherine. Though the company had two other telepaths who aided in the process, Maria felt strongly obligated to help her long-time college friend. Though the love was focused on the memory of Katherine's deceased girlfriend, Elvira Montoya, the two were close cousins and her love transferred to Katherine after her murder.

With most of the horrific memories clouded and diffused thanks to the telepaths, many remained cruelly vivid. With various mutants repressing or activating her various mutant abilities, Maria focused on telepathically keeping Katherine's sanity in check through the ordeal. Often letting Katherine or 'Kitty' roam in her memories while the molten metal flowed into her bones, the two were intimately aware of every aspect of their lives. From personally intimate to uniquely horrific, their thoughts and memories freely mingled. Making both hilarious and intimately personal conversations, Kitty couldn't believe how entirely ineffective regular communication was when compared to telepathy. Channeling not just conversation, the process shared the entire spectrum of senses across the connection allowing her to escape her ordeal and sit in refuge as her body was assaulted at a molecular level. Designed to make the metal become an integrated part of Kitty, the metal had to do more than just plate her skeleton, but become indistinguishable to her mutant abilities. Having a molecular phasing ability to pass through solid objects since she was a child, her regenerative healing powers came along afterwards as they attempted to turn off her phasing powers. Though the project was a total failure, she admitted super healing abilities were nice to have. Without the healing abilities, she wouldn't be sitting in the tank recovering, and would be a puddle of slag on top of a pool of molten metal.

Helped out of the tank, Nurse Jackie presents a terrycloth robe and matching slippers to step into. The soft cloth welcomes Kitty and she instinctually purrs as it slips over her new skin. Moving her arms and legs, Kitty immediately notices the increased weight her body possesses with the metal skeleton. As she mentions it to the nurse, a mature woman's voice rings out over the intercom.

"You'll get used to it Kitty. You will notice a thirty-two to sixty-five percent increase in muscle mass over the next month. You were already uncannily fit for a young woman, but you will experience many negligible changes as your body becomes accustomed to the metal. Unfortunately, you'll never go swimming ever again, but it'll be difficult to drown thanks to your healing."

Nodding, Kitty lets the strawberry blonde nurse lead her to the showers to get the residual muck and debris off her body. As she stands in the shower, she feels her forearms and is shocked to feel three long shafts running the entire length, just under her muscles. As if reading her thoughts, the intercom comes back on with the woman, Doctor Carol Hines, asking comically.

"What's on your mind Katherine?"

As Kitty bathes she yells upwards to the microphones in the ceiling. "I thought you removed my claws, yet I still feel them under my skin?"

With a chuckle Dr. Hines replies. "We did. Those are the replacements composed of the same metal that makes up your skeleton. I think its inhumane to declaw animals, and your situation was no different. Now instead of bone claws, you have metal ones. They are razor sharp and will more than likely never dull in your lifetime."

Nodding, Kitty points her right arm away from her and is amazed as three blades pop out from forearm through the top of her hand. Less than twelve inches each, the glorious blades glimmer and sparkle in the blasting water. Eyeing the shower's wall, she wonders how well they will cut; only to hear Dr. Hines plead over the speaker.

"Please don't tear up our showers. Tomorrow I'll schedule your combat courses to get you accustomed to your new body and weaponry."

Snickering, Kitty retracts them and resumes showering.

Slashing the wooden targets as they swing menacingly towards her, Kitty incorporates her last ten years of martial arts training to entangle, attack, and leap to her next target to bury her claws in the aluminum clad foe. Vigorously leaping and evading imaginary attacks, Kitty executes a roundhouse kick at the upper portion of the simulated opponent. As her foot cracks the shell, she follows through snapping the upper torso in half at her point of contact. Showering the floor with shards of metal and wood, she punches its lower body with both her fists, burying her claws to her knuckles. Catching the torso before it hits the floor, she grins as she retracts her claws letting the dummy fall uselessly to her feet. The camera momentarily moves to Kitty's foot, though covered in her blood, it shows the muscle, tendons, and skin regenerating to completely seal the wound by the time she steps back to look over her handy work. Turning to the camera trained on her, she bows and flourishes her arms out in appreciation of imagined applause and cheers.

Pausing the video, Tony Stark shakes his head in disbelief.

"That was a Adamantium core she kicked through, correct?"

Doctor Adam Harkins nods subtly with pride as his star project amazes the seemingly unimpressible genius extraordinaire. Raising his hands to his face to scratch his eight-day-old stubble on the verge of becoming organized into a beard, they are jerked to a stop as a chain connected his handcuffs become taught reaching the limit of his leg shackles. Remembering his predicament, he lowers his hands back down to his lap and he replies in a humble tone.

"The Vibranium we utilized is unlike the Wakanda and Antarctica varieties used to date. Miss Pryde's phasing powers are entirely uninhibited by this type and she is now capable of phasing through all known varieties of Vibranium. We started implanting microscopic particles of the Vibranium into her body when she was just starting to gain her abilities. For the first year, her powers were nearly extinct, but they suddenly surged back completely by the time she was thirteen. It was then we discovered that she could phase through Vibranium like any other known material. After that, we were inspired to fully execute the Weapon X program on her. It took quite a bit of trouble to locate anyone involved and source any Adamantium. Unfortunately, no one wanted to help us; but we finally found a sponsor who provided with a superior substitute."

Picking up a glass tube with a two-inch shaft of grey metal, it was no bigger than a roll of dimes in the glass tube.

"There are a hundred people running around with metal skeletons and claws?"

Shaking his head he represses a chuckle as he speaks. "No. She was designated X-101 as she was the first of a new generation super-soldiers which they incubated, not in test tubes but in life. Her genetic properties were adjusted to accommodate the source project's genetic code alongside her own, making a super mutant of sorts. She was the first and only successful subject, as we never got funding for any more, thus why we were very protective of her."

With a noticeable level of disdain against experimenting on children, Tony inhales deeply before replying.

"And your _sponsors_ never once told you where they obtained this unique metal? The isotopes of this Vibranium are unlike anything we've seen in our solar system. I find that extremely difficult to imagine or conceive doctor."

Shrugging, Doctor Harkins grins evilly. "Let's just say my contacts were aware I could be asked this line of questions under oath or have my thoughts scanned against my will. They took extraordinary measures to ensure their identities and sources were kept a guarded secret."

Grinning just as proudly, Tony leans over his desk towards the doctor.

"They never imagined your small group going bankrupt, did they? Well I own all your work and research now, and you will stand trial for the murder of Elvira Montoya. The assassin you hired may have not been able to finger you, but your financial records did a fine job in his place. Fortunately for the majority of your employees, they had no idea of your illegal operations; just minute pieces of a massive puzzle."

Standing angrily, Tony beams down at the prisoner and rages on. "And by all rights I should tell that young woman you are responsible for the murder of her girlfriend…all for the sake of your expensive science project! Since she was ten, you have genetically modified and secretly manipulated every aspect of her life to ensure she made the choice to become your expensive asset; from ruining every relationship which might lead her to abandoning your project, to finding a husband and getting married prematurely!"

For the first time since he had entered Stark Tower, Doctor Harkins showed genuine fear and concern. Knowing that there was no prison or facility on Earth Katherine Pryde could not enter or escape from, his life was in serious jeopardy. As he begins to beg, Tony Stark silences him by raising his hand.

"But! But in this case, that young woman would be either imprisoned for the remainder of her life for your murder or be destroyed by the truth; neither outcome is acceptable in my books. You've already destroyed one incredibly good part of her life, I don't want to damage her further. You will accept your full sentence or I will release the entire file to her and damn the consequences. The things she would do to you go beyond civilized conversation, and I don't want that innocent girl to become that kind of monster. Do we have an understanding or do I have my secretary make copies of everything and have it show up on Miss Pryde's breakfast table tomorrow morning?"

Nodding his head numbly, the doctor agrees as the two burly SHIELD officers yank him out of his chair and return him to their facility to await trial. Standing, Tony goes to his bar and pours a whisky into a cold tumbler. Throwing it back, he grimaces as it tracks down his throat and he snarls momentarily disliking his position. Taking a deeper refreshing breath, he returns to his desk to key the intercom on his desk phone.

"Pepper! Would you see if we have any openings for a computer science major with a Master's Degree and half of their Doctorates completed? You know Darlene down at HR will have kittens if I arbitrarily hire another person without an existing open position for them.

A cheery woman replies from outside the office.

"Look in the green file folder on the right side of your desk."

Shaking his head smirking, Tony finds the folder buried near the bottom of the stack. Surprised to see five positions needing filled, he sits back imagining which were best-suited for one Katherine Pryde: computer scientist, genius, mutant, and an incredibly lethal killing machine if provoked.

 **Chapter 1: Boat Trip**

Leaving the computer lab, Kitty chats absently with the five other scientists from her office. With most of their work theoretical, there was little hands-on until they fleshed out their latest design. After half a year working at Stark industries, she still felt she was dreaming. Though she wasn't doing the kind of crime-fighting she imagined after getting the "Dip" as she fondly put it, it was the kind of work she had always dreamed of doing after college. Though she still had another year before she would finish her Ph.D., the experience was not only priceless, but a well-paid position to fund her lack of support. Though her parents were paying part of her rent, she knew the lease was draining them. Expecting a raise after a year, she didn't need the help her parents were giving. Imagining it was for how life had treated her up to now, or that they never needed to help her before due to the previous company paid for everything in California, she didn't have the heart to stop them. Sharing an apartment with Alexia Grande, a computer nerd like herself at Stark, they worked on different teams allowing them to have breathing room when away from work.

Bidding her coworkers farewell, Kitty turns and goes to the rear of the facility. With the past eight hours behind her, she couldn't wait to get into the company's gymnasium. After changing, she bumps into Margot Rumsfeld, one of the company's security officers. After exchanging a friendly hug, they continue to the gym chatting about the coming weekend. Leading Kitty to a private area, Margot swipes her access card and opens the door for her friend. With rounds of hellos and cross-talk, Kitty finally finds an open bench next to a large sparring mat. As Margot carries on about the benefits program for Stark Tier One security, a massive bruiser of a man comes over and sits beside Margot. Nearly seven feet tall, his devotion to athletics brings an admiring grin to Kitty's face, if only momentarily. Easily two hundred and sixty pounds of pure muscle, his soft pleasant voice makes Kitty do a double take when he says hi. With his soft ebony curls and Midwestern accent, his wonderfully soft cocoa-tinged skin was wrapping his extraordinary level of fitness. Margot smiles warmly and slaps his knee briskly.

"Kitty, this is Marcus Henry. He was hired a month ago, and he's been stuck in HR's onboarding process since he arrived. I couldn't wait to get him on the mats with you. Marcus, this is Kitty Pryde; one of the company's prized computer geeks."

Kitty fights the snicker seeing Marcus momentarily taken back hearing Margot's last words.

"She's adept at hand to hand combat, the extent of which is for you to find out."

With a truly friendly persona, Marcus nods and smiles cordially. "I have two black belts; one in Taekwondo, and the other in Hapkido."

Margot sneers jokingly. "See! He's more than a living wall of muscle, that's why they hired him...mostly. He has some military experience as well; he spent four years in the Marines, and well is just unstoppable when he sets his mind to it."

Shrugging modestly, Marcus takes off his running pants. As he heads towards the center of the mat, Margot stands and stops him to whisper in his ear.

"She's a computer scientist, not security. Don't go too hard on her at first."

With an understanding nod, he continues stretching on the mat waiting for Kitty. As Kitty takes off her sweatshirt, Margot stops her to whisper.

"Hey, he's new. Take it easy on him for the first few rounds. I need him to work tomorrow, not be on sick leave in recovery."

Rolling her eyes incredulously, Kitty shakes her head.

"You ask too much."

After a respectful bow towards each other, Kitty breaks into a sprint towards Markus and roars as she leaps into the air to deliver a debilitating knee strike to the chest. Markus, momentarily taken back by her aggressive posture, barely evades the blow and uses his shoulder to shove her on past him. Crouching into a controlled tumble, Kitty rolls out of it on her feet and leaps back at him. Feeling like he struck a brick wall, from experience, he shakes it off and instinctively puts some distance between the girl. As she charges again he switches tactics and wants to see how much martial arts experience she has. Trying to time his kicks and swings to where she will be, he is surprised with her agility and instincts to not be in those places. Though her technique needed great refinement, he was impressed with her skills of evasion.

With a grin, he was pleased to see sweat trickling down the small computer scientist's forehead, the first sign she was challenged. As he launches a new round of blows, he is surprised that most never connect when they should have, momentarily giving him doubt as to his skill level versus hers. As she loses her footing on the mat, he takes advantage of her position and entangles her around the waist. With increasing resistance, he finds it unbelievable that the meek girl could nearly outweigh him in any conceivable fashion. Lifting her up off her feet, with noticeable difficulty, he screams to her louder than he intended.

"Do you give!"

With a snarl, Kitty thrusts her head up into his left shoulder and neck, and kicks her right leg up to strike him in the face with her foot. A bright flash fills his eyes and he instinctually releases her. Grabbing him around the neck as she drops down out of his grasp, she uses her momentum to pull him down towards the mat, and stands. Flipping him onto his back, many spectators imagine hearing the gym rumble when he lands. A moment later, when he jumps to his feet, he feels his face wet with blood. Feeling his nose, he shakes his head and motions for Kitty to stop as she winds up for a follow-up attack. Standing erect, he bows graciously making Kitty stop mid step. Remembering her training, she throws her arms to her sides and replies with a similarly deep bow.

Kitty quickly goes to him to shake his hand to make sure he didn't have any hard feelings. With a sore chuckle he shakes and takes the towel Margot hands him. Turning to Kitty, he growls as he sighs out his tight breath.

"Damn! It was like fighting a pissed off wildcat; and you're not a petit little geek, either. Thanks Margot for the set-up."

From behind him a tall burly blonde man in a white undershirt places his hand on Marcus's shoulder.

"It's okay son! I asked her to do it. Everyone standing around gaping has been on the mats with her at least once. You fared the best so far, with only a broken nose. Even better, you had enough sense to get out of the fight! That's something I train all my people: if something isn't right, then momentarily retreat and reassess. Don't keep fighting senselessly. It's sloppy; and today you proved you don't have that in you. I don't have to spend the next six months fixing your bad habits and instilling the kind of sensibilities you will need to work here. Hell! Most of my people go on to work for top corporations after a few years, and earn their worth, not what everyone is paid. Your little booboo is nothing compared what can happen tomorrow by any number of agents of mayhem or chaos. We have to be prepared for the unexpected, because no one in their right mind would attack us head on."

Nodding, Marcus takes his nose in his right hand and roughly resets the break.

"The nose was nothing; its already stopped bleeding. My pride on the other hand…"

As the laughter carries around, Marcus interrupts them.

"…it will heal eventually." As Kitty turns to the bench, Marcus snags her arm. With a cordial smile he whispers: "Next time, I won't fall for that Rothrock kick."

Shrugging, Kitty pats his hand as she replies. "Next time I'll take off the kitty gloves."

Chuckling he turns to the weight room and disappears.

As Kitty dries her hair in the locker room, Margot exits the showers and sits next Kitty. Extracting her clothes from her locker, Margot sighs as she shakes her head.

"I'm not joking Kitty, if you weren't a computer genius, I'd had found some way to get you on my team. Mr. Stark was adamant that you were needed in his computer science division. You are unlike anyone I've ever sparred with. You have natural instincts you don't get with training alone. Do you want to meet up with me Saturday? Greg and Mia are renting a boat to go out and relax. I think Greg and Nathan will be fishing but the rest of us are just going to hang out and catch some rays."

Looking at her friend incredulously, Kitty shakes her head. "I don't think so; sounds like it will be really crowded."

Laughing, Margot pats Kitty's muscular forearm. "Honey, it's a boat by name, a yacht by design. You'll love it! Two people to a cabin and I'll give you a choice who you want to room with, except for Mia and Greg, of course."

With a long weekend discussing nerd science or computer games with her roommate, Kitty couldn't resist an excuse to sneak away. With underlying reluctance to go over water, Kitty swallows her fear and nods.

"Sure, I'm game."

Kitty gave up watching the boys fish from the back of the ship, after two hours. With boredom overcoming her, she finds her way to Margot's side. Clad in a black bikini, something that Elvira convinced her to purchase after they were going steady; it was a massive hurdle to become comfortable in her once boyish body. Having weathered puberty, her level of physical fitness ensured she had the body to wear the skimpy outfit, while never quite overfilling where most boys wanted to it. Content with her current measurements, Elvira boosted her self-confidence, and she wore the meek outfits with the pride her late lover instilled in her. With abs any guy would kill for, she ran five miles every couple of days, and spent hours keeping the pounds away in the gym.

Kitty hadn't been with anyone since Elvira had passed, and she couldn't deny the lingering pain of her absence striking against the overwhelming sorrow of loneliness. As the weeks became months, she passed through the eighteen month anniversary of her murder, counting the days until the two year mark. Lost in her thoughts, she misses Rochelle Hunter's direct question. Snapping her out of her doldrums, she blinks repeatedly realizing the previous question was directed to her.

"Huh?"

As the women break out laughing, the corporate operations executive repeats her question.

"I'm surprised you didn't hook up with Nathan or the new guy Markus. You really impressed him, and well I can't think of any woman who wouldn't want to share his company all weekend."

As the suppressed laughter stays at the front of the boat, Margot shakes her head before replying.

"Kitty has her reasons and I respect them; and that's why we're bunked up together."

Kitty takes a deep breath and injects herself into the conversation before Margot can continue.

"Thanks Margot, but I think I'm old enough to speak up for myself. I've been playing on the all-girl team for many years, and I still don't want to get back into the game just yet. My girlfriend died not too long ago and I just don't feel right to be with anyone just yet. I'm not against spending a weekend with Markus, I'm just against being with anyone, girl or guy, while she's still in my heart and head."

Feeling like a smear of crap on the bottom of a Louis Vuitton, Rochelle nods in approval, unable to word anything appropriate. Kitty stands abruptly and throws her towel over her shoulder.

"I'm going to take a little nap, Margot. I'm feeling a bit tired."

Nodding, Margot stares coldly at Rochelle while Kitty disappears down to the cabin. As she leaves, Rochelle curses herself and throws her sunglasses on, unwilling to meet the glares of the other people on the forward deck.

Kitty Pryde sits up in bed, and immediately scans her surroundings trying to discover the source of the overwhelming sense of danger. It wasn't that she was sensing danger per se, she interpreted something in the air wasn't right and it heightened her concern. Seeing her bed empty, she throws on a pair of cutoff jean shorts and t-shirt over her bikini, and puts on her tennis shoes. Striding onto the forward deck, she notes the majority of the occupants standing just outside the outer door. Sliding the door open, she carefully walks out to find Margot on her satellite phone. Following where everyone's eyes are drawn, she gasps when in the waning light of dusk she sees the spitting of gun fire around a supertanker. In three speed boats, the aggressors take pot shots at the armed crew above, while avoiding return fire.

As she watches the people on the ship fall dead either on the deck or overboard, Kitty growls her disdain for sitting back and watching.

"We've got to get in there and help."

Margot grins appreciatively, while Rochelle oozes her concern.

"Excuse me? This is not an armored troop carrier missy. Those things they are shooting will make our little boat sink faster than the Titanic."

As Nathan comes out from the ship, he instinctively whispers to Greg.

"All the interior lights are dead."

Kitty turns to ask, but Greg practically reads her mind and replies before she can speak it.

"I killed the running lights just after we passed into the shadow of the tanker when I heard the first shots. Probably why none of those boats are engaging us."

Margot slams her phone closed obviously disgruntled.

"SHIELD won't get involved because it's a matter for the Coast Guard, and they are over an hour out and we're in international waters, which they couldn't tell why that even mattered!"

Nathan emerges from below deck toting a pair of old model rifles and two slim green ammo cans. As Marcus starts to scoff at the fifty-year-old weapons, Greg stops him by raising a finger.

"Don't even. They fire 30 Gov't '06 which penetrates better than most common rounds, and are lethal in the right hands."

Slamming a magazine into the bottom of the rifle, he cycles the weapon and hands it to Margot. As Marcus begins to protest, Rochelle speaks instead.

"What are the rest of us to do?"

Shrugging, he lets the question go unanswered. Margot looks the weapon over and seethes at the group. "Get inside, stay low, and be prepared to jump ship if things go bad for us. Nathan, get to the bridge and stand by for more orders to follow."

As people disappear, Margot isn't surprised to see Kitty and Markus hanging back. Shaking her head comically, she mutters as she points to the top deck.

"Just stay low for now."

As the battle rages, they are amazed that the small boats haven't disengaged, until finally Markus points out a crewman on the tanker is toting an RPG launcher. In disbelief, they see a round shoot out and strike the water feet behind one of the boats. Though the boat crew survived, they were undoubtedly shaken. As they expect the boats to disperse, everyone shakes their heads as the boat speeds back in for another go. As Margot gets back onto the phone, Markus yells out to look. From the back of one of the boats, a large bulky man crouches down low to the deck and leaps up to catch the railing on the tanker's edge. With inordinate strength, he manages to flip his massive bulk over the edge with one arm and lands atop the tanker. As more gunfire erupts they see dozens of hapless guards launched over the rail into the ocean, most broken and contorted in agonizing ways. After a moment, the gangway ladder extends to the waiting boats who unload two more people. Boarding safely, they begin to methodically search the top deck. More screams erupt, frantic and pain-filled.

In an instant, Margot is back on the phone.

"Yah, it's me again! Just verified the attackers are meta-humans or supers. Now is it your problem? Copy."

Turning to Greg, she whispers despite the inordinate level of noise the attackers are making.

"On their way. ETA seventeen minutes."

Kitty shakes her head. "Seventeen? I guess they saw this might become their problem. You know they will be dug in by the time they arrive? Worse, if they take the bridge, that ship's radar will ping us big time."

As Greg opens his mouth to protest, he stops it half way and shakes his head. "Momma said there'd be days like this."

Throwing the rifle to Markus, Greg launches himself to the bridge and Margot leads them to the starboard-side of the yacht. Making a wide turn, they pull up behind the speedboat running alongside the tanker and Greg blasts the small ship with a powerful handheld high beam searchlight. With the other boats on the starboard side of the tanker, the single boat was their only worry. Over the loudspeaker Greg belches out his best authoritative voice.

"You are ordered to shut-off your engines and prepare to be boarded!"

Margot grabs Kitty and Markus's shoulders as she sees the driver reach for an object in his bag beside him. Pulling out an Uzi, he sprays the deck of the yacht with bullets shattering the bridge's windows. Margot pops up with the rifle in her shoulder and lets off a single shot before ducking back down. A moment later, the speedboat glides to the left and disappears into darkness out of control. Margot curses under her breath.

"I wanted that boat." Reaching a phone to the bridge, she tells Greg where to go so that they can board, and where to back off at until they give the all clear.

With astute precision, he brings the yacht alongside the lowered gangway and the three disappear up the path as Greg turns sharply into the night. Strewn on the deck, Kitty counts four carbine rifles and the headgear from three of the guards. Pausing to swipe one off the deck she sees a diamond pierced by an arrow emblem on the black cap. Handing it to Margot, she nods with understanding and tucks it into a cargo pocket in her shorts. Scooping up a rifle, she checks it out then hands it to Kitty. Kitty rolls her eyes and hands it to Markus as she takes the magazines from the remaining weapons.

A blood-curling scream erupts from above, as a crewman is thrown from the door next to the bridge. Landing with a grotesque thud, Kitty cringes hearing bones break as he slams into the deck fueling her anger. Unsure if her teammates can hear as well as she, Kitty discerns laughter coming from the bridge because of the man's fall. With no need to check for a pulse, they rush to ascend the stairs to reach the bridge in less than a minute. On a three-count, they burst in and surprise two of the armed men in the bridge. Dressed in grey coveralls, they stand out from the casually dressed tanker crew. One, obviously the leader spins around to take aim, only to drop as Markus puts a round in the man's chest. The second, having been slow on the draw wisely considers his options faster than his boss, and raises his hands. As one of the crew disarm him, Margot uses some handcuffs from her pocket to secure him to a pipe on the farthest wall. As the crew begin to thank them profusely, Margot silences them with the rise of one finger.

"Where's the rest of them? The big guy and his gang?"

The captain, after putting back on his hat, tugs his shirt back into place and spits at the dead man at his feet. That lot headed down to the cargo bay. Its sealed so they won't get very far. There's five of them plus another eight armed troops. If they aren't in black uniforms, they aren't with us."

Margot nods. "SHIELD is on their way, ETA about…"

Pausing to look at her watch, Margot misses the subtle flash of disdain the crew showed hearing her say shield.

"…eight minutes, give or take a couple. Do you have control of the ship now?"

The captain nods affirmatively, allowing her to continue.

"Excellent. Lock this up and wait for the cavalry to show. We're heading down to keep them from tearing up the place until SHIELD arrives."

With a dull nod, he resumes control and turns the ship directly towards the coast as the trio disappear down below. After several minutes of descent, Margot warns them to be quiet as three voices can be discerned talking a deck below. As they inch to the rail, they count six dead crewmen splayed out across the deck. Talking on a satellite phone, a black spandex-clad Asian woman berates the person on the other end, uncaring that the person on the other end of the phone was probably hearing her perfectly well.

"I have no fucking idea how SHIELD found out! Sounds like a leak on your end mister! Don't give me that! My team is being left to take the fall for your security issues! We did exactly as we were paid to do! We're standing right outside the hold, I just need you to send the chopper to haul it out! I don't give a rat's ass if they are in route to our position; then we will need extraction!"

Then a second muscled bruiser in a blue-black armor exclaims over the woman's voice. "We can punch through this but I'd like to know how much clearance we have to work with. I know that they don't want us smashing up their precious stolen cargo."

With a nod, Margot leads her team around to the next lower deck sending Markus and kitty one direction while comes from the other. Waiting for Margot, Kitty and Markus nervously wait as the seven remaining armed guards meander around the area waiting. On cue, Margot slips out from the corner while using the metal door frame as cover.

"FREEZE! Everyone throw the guns down and get onto the floor!"

Markus does the same as Margot, getting a wash of surprised expressions from the armed men. The woman, keeps her cool and snarls as she replies.

"Who in the hell are you two! We killed everyone else, and you weren't on the manifest!"

Margot eyes a guard subtly unslinging his rifle and fires one shot into his right shoulder dropping him to the deck.

"I'm giving the orders around here, now DROP!"

The Asian woman shakes her head in disbelief. "I can't believe our luck! Would someone waste these two already, or do I have to do everything myself?"

As she grabs the pistol hidden on her companion's back, Margot begins taking down the guards as they try to follow their leader's orders. As the room explodes in weapons fire, Kitty starts looking around for another option. Phasing as she passes in front of the door, she's sure two or three bullets passed through her before she got to the other side. Despite Markus's objections, she sticks her head out drawing more fire away from him. With fewer guns aiming at him, he manages to drop four of the armed guards, before tossing his first rifle and claiming the thrown down carbine from the top deck. As he tries finish off the guards, he watches as the huge men punch their fists through the steel bulkhead and pry the metal apart to make a small door.

As they leap through the hail of bullets to the next compartment, the woman in charge sneers as she launches herself towards Margot. Ignoring the bullets hitting her, she is just a dozen feet away when she gets to the wall. Despite Markus hitting her with round after round, she continues to Margot. As Margot drops an empty magazine, she yelps as the woman slashes through the metal wall and doorframe. With her shoulder nearly cleaved off, she shakes off the pain and blood loss to try and run away from the woman. Toting claws as long as her forearm from her fingers, she sneers as she overtakes Margot and throws her into the wall. With blood flowing from her wound, she falls to the deck waiting for her death. Lifting her up by the neck, the woman glares at Margot, knowing she was the last person she would ever see.

Drawing back her right arm, she lunges forward letting Margot fall towards her rising claws, only to have her claws cut at the empty air. Having blinked to keep her eyes being splashed by Margot's blood, she opens them a moment later in shock. Looking around frantically, she cannot understand what happened and exclaims: "What the hell? Did she just do an Obi Wan fucking Kenobi? That's fucked up!"

From inside the cargo bay, the big fat man yells at her. "Hey Yuriko! We're leaving! You coming or what?"

Shaking her head, she rushes into the hold trying to make sense of what just took place. As SHIELD agents secure the ship, they find Kitty binding Margot's wounds, desperate to save her friend's diminishing life.

In the massive central processor room of the hidden lunar base, a small shape carefully slinks in the shadows as the technicians toil at the banks of computer servers and storage bays. With almost all of the access doors open at every cabinet, the small shape finds its job made easy as they carelessly work at another part of the room. Stealing a glance over the panel door, he grins inwardly as the people are pulling their hair out tracking down the source of the faults plaguing their brand-new system. Installed no less than eight months prior, he quickly resumes his handy work by removing and reinstalling various replaceable processing cards in the cabinet. Using his small clawed hands, he easily slides the card from the slot and waits five seconds. Fighting back the laugh as the techs begin to scream out in frustration, as their faults moves to the rack the small creature resides, he quickly reinserts it and ducks back out of sight. Careful not to make any sounds, he patiently waits as a tech comes to his panel and begins looking over the diagnostic tablet in his hand.

Slowly learning the language, he didn't have a complete dictionary yet, but he was slowly beginning to follow their conversations. As he watches another tech come alongside the young female human, they shake their heads in frustration as the evidence of the failure was clearly displayed. As they find a stool to sit at the panel to work, a tall red-headed human woman enters displaying her anger and frustration to the roving malfunctions. Obviously of some notable authority, he watches as she receives the latest reports from a tall skinny male far below her rank or position. Wishing it could fully understand their conversations, he hopes all his attempts to warn them of the extreme danger brewing under their feet were understood.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Extra Duty**

Margot's eyes flutter open looking up at the metallic ceiling inside a SHIELD helicarrier. Lying beside several similarly wounded people in their medical bay, she feels her shoulder radiating pain as she tries to pull herself into a sitting pose. Abandoning the idea, she relaxes and accepts the medical attention the organization provides. After another hour of poking and prodding, she is wheeled into an area with only two chairs and a reading lamp. As she wonders how long she will be in the room, Kitty strolls in grinning wearing an oversized black t-shirt. With the distinctive SHIELD logo on the left shoulder, she wore the garment with an aloof stride.

"Hey."

Sitting at Margot's feet, she kicks her feet idly looking over the accommodations.

"Not too bad for a flying aircraft carrier. You going to lay there all day or what? Markus took a scratch from the fire-fight and they put a large Band-Aid on his arm."

Momentarily taken back, Margot only shakes off Kitty's attitude.

"Ha ha; you try getting a shoulder full of daggers and just walk it off." She pauses after she speaks and shakes her head. "Never mind. I forgot you and Marcus heal faster than us norms."

Defensively, Kitty scolds Margot. "Hey! I have never been that way toward you or anyone, so don't start that now."

Seeing the hurt in her friend's eyes Margot tucks her tail between her legs as she speaks. "Sorry Kitty. I think that's the pain talking. The local is wearing off."

Nodding, Kitty rubs Margot's leg. "I understand, so I can forgive. The nurses are about to come in to get you ready for transfer to Stark's clinic. Everyone else has headed back already."

With a firm nod, Margot tries to find a comfortable position, only resulting in further pain. Before they can say more, a pair of finely tailored nurses arrive and get Margot ready to travel. Kitty waits in the background until they give her the all-clear by presenting a wheel chair for Margot. Shaking her head she grins as Margot resents the use of the chair but understands the legal reasons for doing so. Walking behind the orderly wheeling Margot along, they walk quietly up to a waiting personnel carrier. As they get Margot out of the chair to board, Kitty turns abruptly sensing a familiar scent in the air. Turning in time, she smiles cordially seeing her employer striding across the deck towards them. Clad in a business which was as much as she made in a month, she couldn't help but admire is style and fashion sense. As Margot tries to stop the orderly from assisting her into the carrier, he lifts off his face mask and motions for her to go. With a painful nod, she continues up the ramp. Kitty senses he's about to speak and turns towards him.

"Where do you think _you're_ going Miss Pryde?" Taken back by his emphasis, she shrugs.

"Wherever I'm told to?"

With a far more serious tone, he resists grinning.

"Excellent, follow me."

Flashing an exaggerated nervous expression to Margot, she turns abruptly and follows on her boss's heels to a secure holding bay. As she follows him through the door, a SHIELD officer stops her firmly.

"This is for Gold-level security clearance. I can't…"

Tony Stark grins to Kitty then pours on his earie firmness.

"This is one of my scientists, and her opinion matter more than your clearances. If you don't want me to look at the item, well, I guess we will be going. Right Miss Pryde?"

Kitty grins, nods, and turns to leave. From inside the room, a firm authoritative voice yells back, making the armored officer stand aside.

"She can come."

With a lighthearted shrug, Kitty strolls in and finds a massive object strapped to the floor with tie-downs. The heavy cargo straps, each able to restrain ten-thousand pounds entwine the ten-foot tall and wide object. Surrounded by dozens of techs, Kitty meanders to the object and inspects it alongside her SHIELD counterparts. Tony Stark, an astute card player, keeps his exhilaration in check as he makes his own observations. Taking readings and comparing them to what the others are collecting, Kitty seems lost in her thoughts. After forty-five minutes, Kitty abandons her investigation and stands innocuously quiet towards the back. Joined by her employer, he stands alongside his scientist. As he asks what she thinks, the man in charge from earlier bellows from behind them.

"Well, you and your scientist have looked at it. What do you have?"

As Mr. Stark begins to ramble avoiding a direct answer, Kitty breaks her silence.

"Well, it's not from around here, at least not our planet."

As Tony eyes her to stop, the man from the back steps forward raises his hand at Iron Man.

"Please Mr. Stark, let her speak. Her opinions matter more than her clearances, remember? We believe it's an alien computer."

Kitty takes a deep breath before resuming.

"No, it's not."

As the scientists in the room turn on Kitty, the man steps completely from the shadows revealing an average looking man with a black eyepatch. His dark brown hair shows a few wisps of grey while wearing the air of authority.

"My people are telling me this is an alien computer system, and you're saying that they are wrong. Explain yourself."

With a reassuring glance from Mr. Stark, Kitty reluctantly continues.

"It's not a complete system, only a fragment. I believe what you have here is just the processor, not the storage, programs, or power supply. Oh, I do believe some of the internal management software is contained, but not the data you'd be interested in. Most of the interfaces are beyond me, but it does have a number of smaller power supplies inside to aid in the operation; exactly how, that will take decades to figure out."

He turns to Mr. Stark, who only nods in agreement. "I might be able shave a few years here and there, but yah, that's what I think too."

Kitty returns to the object and points out key features as she talks. "Many components are fused together, either by a kind of glue or by molecular weld to make them look as one piece, but I think that's just for size convenience, possibly for cooling or containment? With some better scanners, you might be able to determine which or both."

A light chuckle rolls through the room which Kitty seems oblivious to as she continues.

"Aside from that, we can only guess at the power requirements, type of data inputs, or anything else for that matter. I can't help but say that it will be fun figuring it out."

As the man leads Mr. Stark from the room, Kitty notices him gesture for her to follow. Obligingly, she follows a respectful distance behind on their trail, arriving at a Stark corporate jet. As she pauses, Tony motions for her to board as he finishes his conversation privately. Striding into the luxury jet, Kitty stares in bewilderment at the opulent expenses invested in the aircraft dressed in an over-sized t-shirt and shorts. As she finds an innocuous seat, one more fitting of a mere employee of the company, Tony Stark drives into the jet as the engines begin to crank up. On his phone, he begins talking forcibly to the person on the other line, as if it would intimidate them without being in person. Angrily, he turns off the phone and tosses it into an adjacent chair. Shaking it off, he sits as the planes leaves the helicarrier and heads due west.

The attendant, a curly blonde woman no older than Kitty but with negligible advantages in her physical attributes, brings drinks for them and Tony downs the first glass, only to speak after the replacement is in his hand.

"You handled yourself pretty good with those SHIELD characters. Next time though, don't reveal all your cards all at once; they'll screw you over if given an opportunity. Give them just enough to salivate and crawl back to you begging for more. What's the rest of your weekend plans? Unless of course you regularly stop smugglers and pirates on your time off."

Shrugging, Kitty tentatively sips at her drink before replying; the cold orange juice gives her a blast of refreshment after her long day.

"Nothing now. Probably try and sneak into my apartment while my roommate plays SOCOM until four in the morning. She didn't expect me back until Sunday afternoon, so she'll be camped out in the living room all weekend"

Tony stares into his glass far more intensely than Kitty imagined he should, making for an uncomfortable silence. Listening to the low whine of the engines, Kitty's eyes dart around nervously.

"Well, if you're not completely spent, up for a little overtime?"

Seeing an affirmative nod from his scientist, he continues.

"Doctor Fallon is getting his stuff together as we speak, and he needs two assistants to help with an emergency repair. I sold a system a while back which has developed an unusual fault which is stumping the owners. Because it is still under contractual warranty, they have invoked their right for me to fix it. The fault is roving and doesn't have any particular pattern or behavior. I thought this would be right up your alley, especially how well you handled this weekend. Face it Katherine, you're not a stereotypical computer geek, and that has great value in my company."

Taking another sip of her drink, she nods meekly before replying.

"You mentioned overtime?"

Chuckling, Mr. Stark continues. "Yes, time and a half plus hazardous duty pay. I can't specify its location, but it does qualify for the extra pay. Are your measurements on file still current?"

With another meek nod, Kitty can't fight the embarrassment of the question.

"Yes sir."

Seeing nothing to his question, he continues.

"Excellent. I will have four sets of clothes waiting for you when we arrive, so there is nothing to pack. Now, the standard confidentiality clause you signed will cover this, and everything you see and do will be top secret, so long as it is not illegal. If you witness anything illegal then you must report it to me or my internal security division. Again, standard ops for this situation; you'll be fine. The client requires tight lips for the location, so just take the memory with you to the grave, for the most part. You have authorization to discuss anything with me or my IS people when you return. It's best you bring it to me first, though. You can arrange an appointment with my assistant at any time afterwards. Now we have six hours until we touch ground at the rally point, plus another six until you touch ground at the sight. I've got a bed back there, so use it. Stacey, my inflight aide, will wake you when we are landing."

Kitty is immediately roused as the door to the bedroom opens and the blonde smiles warmly seeing Kitty sitting up. Finally hearing her speak, Kitty must admit her soft alluring voice was an even greater asset in her book.

"We'll be touching down in ten minutes."

After thanking her, Kitty sits up and shakes off the sleep. Still dressed in her clothes from earlier, she couldn't wait to get into a fresh set. Looking out her window, she is surprised that they are surrounded by desert mountains and terrain. Aside from the Air Force base, there seemed to be little around them except sand and desert fauna. As the plane comes to a halt, she lets her boss lead her way out of the jet and to a waiting extended cab truck. She can see the military officer, with a pair of gold bars on his collar, is surprised she has no luggage. In a light beige uniform, he seems uncomfortably warm yet his friendly demeanor says otherwise.

"Welcome back Mr. Stark. The general is waiting for you at the hanger where you will load the gear. Your other employees arrived ten minutes ago and are unloading their gear. Is this the other assistant?"

With a firm nod, he shakes the young man's hand.

"Yes…Michael wasn't it? Yes, this is Miss Pryde. She will be on the outgoing flight, and I'm only here to see them off."

With another nod, he has them get into the truck and drives them to a distant hanger.

"Affirmative. We will upload the cargo while your people suit up. The craft is only forty minutes out, and they have said they are in the green. Total ground time should be under thirty minutes.

Mr. Stark nods as they pull up to the aircraft hanger. Though devoid of aircraft, the hanger was abuzz with ground crew positioning cargo and supplies for the inbound craft. Exiting the truck, the young officer leads them to the right inside the hanger. A middle-aged man with an average build and decaying hairline waves to her boss, who nods and smiles seeing the gesture. Deposited beside two large plastic crates nearly as tall as Kitty, she notices Stark Industries logos plastered on each side of the crates. Kitty looks around and above marveling at the internal dimensions of the hanger. Noticing Kitty's expression of awe, the officer grins.

"Well, Miss Pryde, welcome of Area 54. They haven't decided on an official name for the base yet, but this may become declassified in a decade or two and transferred over to NASA. It's all talk right now. This hanger can house two C-5 Galaxy aircraft parked nose to tail, but we use it for many operations as you will quickly see."

Mr. Stark sighs as he finishes chatting with the balding man from earlier.

"Unfortunately, the suit I designed for you to use today isn't going to arrive in time Katherine. If you have to use your little things you have, take off the gloves or keep an extra set available for when you are done. At least they brought you the clothes I requested. This is Doctor Douglas Fallon…"

Swinging his arm to his left, he presents the balding man she saw on their arrival. Shaking Kitty's hand vigorously, he genuinely smiles appreciatively meeting her. And Mr. Stark continues through their introductions.

"…and his assistant Megan Calloway is gearing up as we chat endlessly. You need to follow the sergeant…"

Tony presents an attractively tall Hispanic Air Force member, of some negligible rank on her arms, while continuing to speak.

"…and she will help you get changed into the flight gear. You're pretty much going to be living in this equipment until you return, so get used to it."

With a mild shrug acknowledging his directions, she quickly joins the Air Force sergeant who leads her into a portable trailer parked just outside a side door of the hanger. Following a step behind the woman, Kitty is presented a closet to change inside. Handed a bag with underclothes and a slim white bodysuit, she enters. To her total surprise a sign inside the closet tells her to strip, put her old clothes in the provided bag, shower and change into gear after wards. Done in stages, she passes through each door accomplishing each step on the list as she goes, before finally donning the new attire. Surprised the bra and underwear are no better than ultra-thin spandex, she dries off with a second fresh towel before putting on the suit.

With her skin completely dry, she has no problems slipping into the suit. Exiting the room, she is surprised to see a tiny redhead barely five feet tall, sitting in a barber's chair letting them blow-dry her hair. Though it barely went past her shoulders, they finish drying it as Kitty sits to receive the same attention. With her face completely exposed, it only seems to cover her fiery hair. Finished, she stands and grins looking at Kitty. The redhead, not much older than Kitty, reaches out and shakes Kitty's hand as they help her into her boots one at a time.

"First time? Megan Calloway. You are Katherine Pryde, right?"

Kitty nods as she tries to speak over the hair drier.

"Yah! I've heard of clean room procedures, but this is above and beyond anything I've ever heard of!"

Joining the laughter bounding across the room, Megan nods.

"You really have no clue as to our destination, huh? Well I'm not going to spoil it for you."

Kitty can only nod as they finish with her hair and inspecting the fit of her body suit before getting her into a light pressure suit. As she finishes slipping into the upper and lower torso portions, she is sat down as they begin slipping on and locking her boots in place. She feels a tube attached to the body connector, and suddenly crisp cool air blows into her suit cooling her down like the hose attached to Megan's suit. The chilly air seems ducted to ever corner of the suit, especially as the gloves are attached and locked. As they are guided to a recliner, Doctor Fallon exits the closet and is quickly ushered into a chair to get on his suit. Over the din of conversations and preparations, a speaker spits out a shrilly man's voice announcing hurriedly, "Transport ten minutes out. Alpha One. Get ground crews ready to receive craft and passengers to the packs receiving area."

In half the time it took to prepare Megan and Kitty, the doctor is quickly suited up and is walking a minute behind Megan and Kitty as they are led out the exit and through a plastic tunnel. Seen in bio-containment operations on television, Kitty was still in awe at the level of cleanliness given to their departure. Men and women dressed in clean suits take them through the tunnel to a metal door and into a waiting area. As they are told to sit in another set of recliners with their air-conditioners in hand, Kitty cannot shake how much they resemble the ones used by astronauts as they are ferried to their ships. As the military people buzz around them, Kitty is taken back as an icy blue-eyed woman with blonde locks and in a beige uniform squats before Kitty smiling proudly.

"This is your first time, right?"

Taken back by her beauty, Kitty nods dumbly letting the woman with four stripes on her arms continue.

"I'm Staff Sergeant Kendal, but you can just call me Jenny, everyone else does. Okay? Your suit is what we call a utility suit. It can resist cuts and abrasions most simple pressure suits do not. Now it's not as resistant as the NASA E.V.A. suits but it's far better than what we used to have, and you have more mobility to do manual labor. Following me so far?"

With a quick nod from Kitty, she continues by extending out in her hand a black cloth bag. Deformed by its contents, it appears to have an object as large as a basketball contained within.

"Next, this is your suit's helmet. I will walk you through putting it on and off; it's really easy with those gloves you're wearing. Next, this second bag is your carryon. You have five airsickness bags, five cleaning cloths, a package of polishing and cleansing wipes for inside your helmet, and a package of a hundred for use on the outside. Now in the pink zip lock bag is your personal urinal kit. The instructions are in the bag. There's not enough time to run you through all the contents of your bag, but that will be your best friend while you are suited up. Miss Calloway can assist you, she's an old pro at this. Any questions?"

With her breathing negligibly raised, Kitty can only shake her head, then squeak out a meager reply.

"I'm glad I followed the instructions on the door and did everything on the toilet before I got dressed."

With a huge grin on her face the sergeant pats Kitty's thigh reassuringly.

"You'll be okay, just remember to breathe normally or you might either hyperventilate or faint."

A heavy roar from outside, lasting ten seconds, makes Kitty stop and turn reflexively. As it dissipates, the girl shakes Kitty's leg once more.

"Let's practice donning your helmet."

With a terrified nod, Kitty tries to smile appreciatively, but only comes out as a toothy grin. Helped up to her feet, Jenny continues by extracting and presenting the slim yellow helmet, matching the bright yellow of her suit.

"Take this up, over, and then down…"

Kitty easily lifts the light weight helmet over her head and brings straight against the locking ring of her suit. Seeing Jenny beam an enormous smile, her small diminutive hands take Kitty's and guide her grasp the locking ring attached to the suit. With a firm rotation, the ring slides over the helmet's ring, locking it to the suit. Jenny shows her how the lock assembly works to ensure the ring doesn't come loose, and she practices taking it off and on two more times before calling it quits. With the call to board ringing out over the overhead speakers, Kitty sighs once more receives a firm pat on her arm by the Sergeant.

"You are so blessed. I'll catch you on the flipside, as my mom always says. I'm scheduled to be on duty when you return next week, so you will have a familiar face welcoming you back."

With a relaxed smile, Kitty mouths: "Thank You," before turning to the door. Joining the rest of the team as they march out, Kitty reminds herself to breathe seeing a sleek blue and black aircraft parked in the middle of the hanger. Taking up more than half of the space, it easily clears the top of the ceiling with fifteen or twenty feet to spare. With short winglets, its very body are the wings and fuselage. Unlike any known aircraft in anyone's inventory she'd seen, it was hardly believable. Led by an Air Force officer, they are taken up the loading ramp and deposited to the feet of a waiting man in a similar utility pressure suit, minus the helmet. The suit, colored in greenish yellow and black, bears a black and silver patch with a sword emblazoned down the middle. With a warm disposition, he gets the team seated as they finish loading the remaining cargo around them.

Kitty, seated and buckled tight in the reclining chair, she glances up to the large overhead display in front of her. Showing the view from out the cockpit window, she is surprised she can see so much detail in the flat screen. Yelling over the small distance, Doctor Fallon points towards the screen.

"I asked them to turn it on for you, seeing that it's your first time and all. You're going to love this!"

With a nervous nod, Kitty sits back and waits as the crew rush around her to depart. After a heavy clang from cargo door closing and locking, Kitty hears her heart pounding in her ears. Over the speakers in the bay, she hears the pilots talking.

"We have a green light from Cent-Com. The Chinese satellite has passed us, the Space Shuttle is clear, and they have fired the ion scrambler, so we are clear to depart. Buckle up."

As the remaining crew find their seats, Kitty notices the craft gently slip out of the hanger and taxi to the runway. Feeling like it's a video game, Kitty cannot feel any vibration through her seat as they quickly reach their mark. As she starts to ask, the first signs that it is not a simulation hits her as the vehicle lurches forward at an astounding speed and lifts into the air. Knowing that she should be plastered to her seat, the minor G-forces she's experiencing are nothing what they should be.

Over the speaker she hears the crew chatting.

"Inertial dampeners at sixty-two percent…in the green."

The pilot replies almost immediately. "Copy. Advancing to break-away speed."

Kitty, who felt Disneyland's Space Mountain ride had more G's, suddenly stops breathing as the darkening blue sky in the display suddenly turns completely black and the minor G-forces she was experiencing smothers her in her chair making breathing nearly impossible. Lasting for a minute, Kitty finds the strength to inhale a smidge keeping her from blacking out. Just as quickly as it began, the G-forces taper off and she inhales sharply, greedily sucking in the air. Looking around her, she is amazed to see her team recovering as well as she has and the pilot speaks over the radio to the control center.

"Command, we have passed orbital ring Fox-Trot, and are proceeding without complications."

As the people on the other end copy their transmission, the pilot snickers as he follows up.

"And FYI, let them know the mouse is in the green and kept her cheese."

The second copy from their control sounds half-defeated as he responded.

Sitting beside Megan, her counterpart grins proudly and offers her hand up to smack in a high-five.

"Awesome! I knew you were good for it. When we get back you need to visit the west coast so I can buy you dinner! I bet you would stay conscious and not lose your cookies. I got a huge payout!"

Controlling her breathing, Kitty only nods.

"WE…we're in space…right?"

Still laughing, Doctor Fallon nods from the other side of Megan.

"That's right! You just lost your cherry and entered the most prestigious club on the planet. You've unofficially become a member of the club to end all clubs; and in about five hours you will be but one of a handful who have taken the next leap in club membership."

Confused, Kitty only nods once; as over the next four and a half hours, a small bright ball turns into the moon.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Fire

Entering the processing control center, the trio set their helmet bags down on a rack inside and wheel in four work kits. Though they could pass as tall tool bins, the drawers contained most of the replaceable components in the system. With the remaining sets eight levels above containing the remainder of the components, Doctor Fallon felt it was easier to get into the bins as was needed. With all the equipment bay door closed tightly, he felt it was easier to open them as the need came as well. Reviewing the reports, he immediately mentioned how unusual the system seemed to flare up without any notice or pattern. Usually beginning during slow work periods, it would cascade to multiple servers, processors, and equipment racks. Defying all comprehendible logic, the malfunction would seemingly appear and disappear in minutes, only to resurface in an entire different area of the system.

As the doctor scans over the reports, he directs Kitty to take a rack and inspect a list of components, and sends Megan to do the same in another area. Kitty nods agreeably and finds a stool to sit on as she takes out the list to meticulously review item by item. As the minutes turn into hours, Doctor Fallon, or Doug as he preferred, would explain he was simply waiting for the problem to resurface. With all their test gear on the ready, they were simply looking over the usual suspects. Though kitty was certain the local crews had accomplished this prior to their arrival, she did understand its purpose. As she reached the lower segments of the rack, she uses her magnifying goggles, mirror and lamp to look over each component in the rack, she notices the light suddenly glint unusually as she passed over a nearby component. As her eyes track to nearby voltage regulators, she notices how the light seems to be minutely redirected as she flashes her lamp next to it.

Trying to duplicate the path she was using, she is rewarded by duplicating the small flash of light off the palm-sized card. Though it looked no different than the ones beside it, she gets a smaller magnifying mirror and inspects it further. To her surprise, she sees two small gouges in the plastic case of the component, and another one on its opposite side. Taking off her right gauntlet glove, she gingerly runs her fingers over the surface and feels the subtle scratches etched into the surface. Though hardly deep, she couldn't mistake their presence with her bare hands. Looking left and right for similar scars, she is surprised to note fifty various components with the marks and that most are towards the bottom of the rack. Worse, some of the malfunctions the station experienced could have easily originated from the scratched units. Discovering more than half of the items on the list had the small scratches, she considered the possibilities.

Pushing the stool back from the rack, Kitty ponders if the scratches were from installation or maintenance, but realizes the items ran from the top center of the rack down to the bottom center, and diagonally from sides to the center bottom as well. With her hands in the air in front of her, Kitty tries to imagine how the opening or closing of the doors could cause the scratches, she stops in revelation to the pattern in front of her. Standing abruptly, she opens the nearby rack and discovers the nearly identical pattern as was in her rack. By the fourth rack, Doug had pulled his nose out of the report and watched Kitty abandon her inspection and open every rack. Seeing her intense glare as she inspects the other racks in a specific area, he lets her do five more before finally speaking.

"Well, are you going to fill me in or what?"

Surprised by hearing his voice, it snaps her out of her trance and she nods.

"Um…yes. I mean I found something. There is a pattern to the failures I believe, but it's not logic or computer based, it's a visual clue."

Caught completely off-guard, he shakes his head and Megan joins him to look at the rack Kitty is staring into. Handing him a mirror and light, she directs him to the scratched components and points out their location. As they shrug incredulously, Kitty sighs dramatically.

"Look!" Using her hands and arms to exaggerate the symbol, she shows the direction the damaged components form from top to bottom, and brings her hands from left and right down to the bottom center of the rack forming a large arrow pointing downwards. Megan exclaims out in surprise followed by the doctor. Kitty continues immediately. Looking around the room, Kitty only can shrug before continuing.

"It's not on every rack, but all of the rear-facing ones. Someone or something is trying to get our attention." Looking around further, Kitty asks absently, "Is there a basement right below here?"

Doug nods affirmingly and leads his team to the front of the room. Saying that they will need to go to the power room, the technician shakes his head and calls his boss. After several minutes of conversing on the phone, the tech motions towards the door. Doug motions for Kitty and Megan to go as he pulls out his remote diagnostic kit so he can see their readings as he works from the main center. Handing them a small took kit, he sits in front of the equipment rack scrutinizing the scratches on the parts. With a comfortable nod, the tech leads them out of the room and to a large service elevator.

Opening the doors, he turns left and cannot hide his annoyance having to chauffeur the visitors around the station. Kitty, toting her helmet bag and a flashlight around, cannot shake several unusual scents wafting in the air. From a scaly-like reptile smell, to some rank which had the tinge of death on its edge, she couldn't place either smell. Not to say she didn't pick up the countless humans and mechanically-related odors carried through the station, she couldn't place the previous two. Not to mention strength, but the first smell was weak but seemed strong at many times when they moved down corridors. The last smell seemed stronger only when they reached the bottom floor, referred to as the basement. Though technically there were a dozen more floors lower than it, it was generally the last one which was patrolled infrequently by the station personnel. The other levels, filled with the station's refuse recyclers, needed little to no attention and were only visited when there was a problem.

As they finally reach the corridor leading to the power room under the central processing room, the guard pauses and looks over the area. As Kitty and Mega catch up, they feel his concern as they see large scorch marks against the walls, floors and door leading in. Discovering the door handle nearly melted off, he cannot conceive of the source of the flames. Almost as if someone was using a flamethrower, the damage to the area was incalculable. As he starts to enter, Kitty stops him and points to the edges of the corridor. In small piles every few feet, they discern charred sticks approximately the size and length of Megan's arms. As Kitty and the guard scan the darkness along the edges of the walls and floors, they lose track of the number of piles in every direction. Instinctually Kitty removes her gloves and throws them into her helmet bag.

Taken back by the scene, the guard fetches his radio, linked to the communications panels riddled through the station. As he begins to key his mic, a raw screechy howl freezes everyone in their tracks. As Kitty opens her mouth to exclaim how they must leave, the scorched door bursts open and sickly large swaths of red light blast out in every direction. Kitty, as surprised as anyone, barely has time to grab Megan's arm before they are bathed in the lethal beams. Passing through them harmlessly, the poor guard is too far from Kitty and screams out in agony as he is cleaved apart by the crimson beams. Reaching the elevator as the creatures are just inches behind her, Kitty hurls Megan and her bag into the elevator and let go of her. Slamming against the back, Megan shakes off the impact and screams Kitty's name as she watches Kitty slam the elevator controls to ascend. As the beasts threaten to enter the elevator, Kitty charges them and lands a solid uppercut under the edge of the six-foot-wide creature. Resembling an insectoid Manta ray with an evilly wide red cyclops eye, the eye slot was no more than two inches tall and over a foot wide and was the source of the deadly beam attacks.

With her punch toppling it over end onto its back, the scorching beam fires out towards the ceiling and away from the closing elevator doors. Hearing Megan scream out to her, she fights from looking backwards as the creatures continue to pour out from the room. Hearing the elevator doors slam shut, she takes a defensive stance and extends her claws. Dodging the beams from the next swath of buggy aliens, she lunges down and effortlessly cuts the creature nearly in half as it struggled to get back on its insect legs. With a piercing screech, it dies at her feet as the next ones arrive to try and overwhelm her. Keeping pace with their arrival, Kitty leaps and dives slashing and maiming the creatures as their beams either miss or pass through her harmlessly.

Thrown against the wall by the charge of a medium-size bug, it blasts at her midsection, making Kitty scream out in agony. Instinctively she brings her claws down into its back ending the deadly assault. Feeling her muscles and organs regenerating rapidly, she rotates the creature up and uses it as a shield as she charges them. Liberating her right claws, she is surprised the beams don't' readily cut through it and she has some relief from their lethal weaponry. As her strength begins to falter and a fresh group of devil aliens scamper out of the farthest room firing their beams towards her, she feels her temporary shield begin to lighten as she is lifting less and less of it after every impact from the approaching mob. Looking down at her belly she is pleased to see the outer skin had fully regrown in time for the next wave, despite the unfinished work inside. Panting as she approaches exhaustion, she tries to take one final large breath as they get within ten feet of her.

As she lifts her right clawed fist up to prepare for the onslaught, a blinding flash of super-heated fire blasts the incoming monsters, and nearly sets her own hair ablaze. Dropping to her knees, she instinctively raises the shield up over her head as the fire rains down on the beasts. With the flow of fire lasting nearly thirty seconds, she is amazed that she is not scorched from head to toe. As the fire abruptly ends, she glances out at the charred hallway. With the remains of hundreds of the massive aliens strewn out from her to past the room, the few who were the farthest from the blaze were dancing and screaming in pain as the flames had managed to partially ignite their bodies. Fearfully Kitty gazes up for the source of the fire, expecting to see a flamethrower or like weapon mounted to the ceiling; what she sees renders her momentarily speechless.

Wearing a toothy grin on his elongated snout and mouth, Kitty couldn't believe the three-foot long dragon was responsible for the fiery carnage before her. As the remaining aliens hobble and scamper back into the room, the small purple and black dragon flaps his wings, keeping him four feet from the ceiling. Examining his handiwork, it seems to wait until the last alien disappeared before taking its attention away from the scene. With her makeshift shield nearly melted away after the fiery burst, she retracts all her claws and lets it fall uselessly to the floor. As she begins to turn to the beautiful creature flying above her, she hears the elevator arriving and the small dragon leaps to the ceiling and nearly disappears as its shape is lost against the roughly cut surface.

Exiting the elevator, dozens of overly armed soldiers spill into the corridor. A tall woman in an unflattering armored bodysuit asks what happened. As Kitty tries to make sense of the past ten minutes of battle, she can only shrug. "The surviving monsters retreated back into the room…over there. I got the impression there were many more where this came from."

With a firm nod, the woman begins directing teams to secure the area around them, ensuring they weren't setting themselves up for a trap. As she begins to leave, she orders Kitty to go back up with her team and retreat upstairs until the all-clear is given. Obeying, Kitty turns to leave only to pause as she glances around her feat. Yelling over her shoulder, she offhandedly comments on the carnage around her.

"They don't like fire! They're highly susceptible to fire damage among other things."

As a medic guides Kitty to the elevator, she steals a glance up to the ceiling as the small dragon worms his away into the elevator. As the doors close, he barely has time to whip his tail inside and follows Kitty up to her friends.

Striding into the computer processing room, Doug announces triumphantly, "They are finally wrapping up the operation downstairs. Colonel Deming says they're just cleaning up the area. They liked hiding their eggs in every nook and cranny, and down below there's plenty of those."

As Kitty and Megan nod approvingly, he strides to a work table and switches on the music player very loud and joins his two assistants behind the farthest electrical cabinet. Dragging a stool, he drops it in front of a large black duffle bag and motions it's safe to talk by raising up a thumb approvingly. With visible relief, Kitty slowly unzips it letting the small dragon poke his head out tentatively. Craning his head around he seems to relax considerably after a minute of looking and smelling the area. In a low whisper, Doug continues.

"Okay, I have to be sure little fella that you understand what we are saying. Are you sure you don't want us to let these guys know about you?"

With a dramatic nod of approval, his head bows up and down. Doug sighs before continuing.

"Okay, it's your call. Without your help, a lot more people would have died here; so, I think it's safe to say you're earned it. What now? Our shuttle leaves tomorrow, so where do you want us to take you?"

They wait anxiously as the small dragon glances around at the three people and lifts his small clawed hand up and points at all three of them. Another dramatic sigh escapes Doug's chest as he is overwhelmed by the dragon's display of intelligence. Kitty chuckles watching her team leader shake his head in amazement.

"I told you he is smart. He may not be able to speak our language, but he can sure comprehend what we are saying. Hey, little guy. I live far away from these two. So, when we get planet-side, where do you want to go? East coast with me, or West coast with them?"

The three people watch intensely as the small creature ponders the choice. After a few minutes, he raises his hand up and points at Kitty grinning. Laughing, Doug nods.

"Well, I do live in the suburbs of L.A. with my wife and son plus two small dogs. Adding a small dragon to our family unit may draw undo attention."

Megan nods. "Well, I share an apartment with an allergy ridden roommate who will probably leave if I brought you back with me. I guess this isn't a bad arrangement."

Kitty shakes her head. "Well I'm not sure if I can have 'pets' at my place, but technically he's not a pet by any definition."

They watch comically as the dragon shakes his head negatively.

After a moment, Doug replies.

"We'll need to figure out how we're going to get him past these goons. They are excessively detail oriented, beyond what I consider humanly pleasant to be around. And yes, that says a lot coming from me."

Kitty nods before finally speaking her mind.

"Well if he can remain extremely still and not move around a lot, I think we can put all the old chips and parts he scratched up into the bag and we can just carry him with us as carry-on. We just tell them that we have to hand carry it back to the East coast for analysis. Thus, the bag will stay with me and not with all the gear heading back with you."

With nods going all around, they finish replacing the last of the gouged or inoperable parts and pack up to leave.

Striding off the ramp wearing her smelly pressure suit, Kitty couldn't wait to peel out of the gear and drown in her bathtub, submerged in a ton of perfumed salts and oils. Toting the black duffle bag, she is ushered into a larger trailer, except with the process in reverse. Noting the additional trailer, she is helped into the second trailer and asks where she can securely place the bag. Shown the room she will exit fully clothed, she places the bag on the floor and unzips it two inches to let air enter more readily. Satisfied, she lets the airman lead her to a waiting chair alongside four other women who came down from the base. Slipping off the gear, they watch the Air Force people separate the gear into large yellow trash cans. Down to the beige underwear they were issued upon arrival, they are led to their appropriate doors and are told to shower and change into the clothes they brought. As Kitty starts to mention she didn't have the opportunity to bring any with her, an older woman with six or seven stripes comforts her.

"It's okay Miss Pryde. Your employer took care of that before your return. They are in the clothes bag hung in the changing room."

With a nervous nod, she steps in and goes through the stations. Exiting the shower, she dries and carefully steps into the changing room. With the towel wrapped around her, she kneels and checks on her small stowaway who gives an approving nod when asked if he is doing well. Closing the bag up in case someone walks in, she stands and unzips the clothes bag. Running her hands over the rose-colored stretch wool-gabardine blazer and matching pants, she nearly forgets to breathe. Noticing the silky lining in the jacket, she shakes her head in disbelief. Discovering a cashmere silk jewel neck tank hung inside the blazer, she is speechless as she finds the signature Oscar De La Renta labels on all the clothes.

Sitting down on the bench absorbing the past five minutes, her foot hits an innocuous black shoe box. Lacking any identifiable markings as the clothes bag, she slips it out from her feet and flips the top off. Trying to keep from screaming, she recognizes the Jimmy Choos label on the black Hartley leather trim pumps. With her heart pounding out of control, she leans back against the wall incapable of assembling the purpose of excessive gifts from her employer. With the entire ensemble exceeding her entire monthly paycheck, she can only shake her head in bewilderment. After several minutes agonizing over the opulent gratuities thrown to her, she begins dressing.

Slipping on the Jimmy Choo's, she hoped nothing would happen to her before she got home to change. Unable to imagine how she would pay to replace it should they become damaged, she feels the power radiating outwards wearing the ensemble. After a quick look-over in the full-length mirror on the back of the door, she opens the door and exits toting the duffle bag. Noticing more than one approving stare at her entrance, she is ushered into an air-conditioned passenger van. Joining Doug who was chatting with the driver, she is followed ten minutes later by Megan who whistles through her teeth approvingly seeing Kitty's outfit.

Kitty shakes her head in embarrassment.

"All I said was that I didn't have any clothes packed before I came here. I think Mr. Stark got a little carried away."

Megan laughs as she replies.

"Next time I need to make sure I leave behind all of my clothes too."

Sharing another round of laughter, Doug finally slides into the discussion.

"Mr. Stark was kind enough to send a private jet to chauffer us around. Unfortunately, Kitty, yours is running a couple of hours late and ours is leaving in fifteen."

Arriving at a parked private jet, the pair disembark leaving Kitty and her duffle bag in the van. As the jet taxis away, the driver turns and delivers her to a trailer parked beside their hanger. After politely refusing to let the young man take her bag, she lets him lead her out of the sweltering heat into a small portable trailer. Blasted by the frigid air within, she is immediately assailed by the smell of food pouring from the trailer. As she smiles, he nods approvingly.

"When we get the fifteen-out call, I'll swing by and get you there, ma'am."

After thanking him, she enters and senses a familiar scent or presence. Beaming a huge smile as the young Staff Sergeant Kendal comes into view, she returns an equally warm smile at. Kitty's cheeks hurt from her smile as she speaks.

"Jenny, isn't it? I was afraid something came up and I wouldn't see you again."

Feeding off the warmth radiating from Kitty, the woman is taken back by her presence and nervously replies.

"Yes. I heard that your jet was delayed so I went to the chow hall and picked up four trays of food. I didn't know what you might like so I grabbed two trays of entrees and two trays of vegetables. Oh! Not to mention the salad tray. I knew it was only your plane delayed, but I told the sergeant working there it was for three people. Angela hooked me up. We're old friends, so I brought a couple of plastic plates and silverware, so just take what you want. Now, I'm not sure you're a fan of liver and onions, but most people are around here so I only got a small piece of that."

Kitty shakes her nose to the liver and nods. Taking off her blazer, she lets Jenny hang it up. After serving themselves, they retreat to the front of the trailer with their plates. Discovering many overlapping points of interest, they succumb to the ravages of time, losing themselves in two and half hours of conversation. With Jenny's roots lying in the southwestern state of New Mexico, they trade stories about their youth and how they found themselves in their current lines of work. As the passenger van drives up, they stand and part ways. Sharing a friendly hug, Kitty fishes out one of her business cards and borrows Jenny's pen to write her cell phone number on the back. Mentioning she had to charge her phone first, she hugs Jenny once more before donning her blazer and retrieving the duffle bag by the food. As she steps out and into the van, she sees Jenny waiving by the door. Returning the wave, she lets the van whisk her away.

As Kitty's plane disappears into the sky, Jenny turns her attention to the trays of wasted food. After finding a garbage bag, she is shocked to find nothing left for her to do except discard the empty trays. Cursing her coworkers, she sees little point in raising a stink of it, as they didn't interrupt her as she chatted up the delightful computer nerd. With Kitty's card in her hand, she mentions out loud how she's going to have to use some of her leave to visit New York.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Aliases**

Sitting in her study clad in her running pants and top, Kitty waits as the medical team finalizes their report to Tony Stark. Listening to an endless report of unknowns and opinions, Kitty rubs her face realizing she could be jogging instead of being mentally assaulted from boredom. Looking to her right, the small purple and black dragon rolls onto his back mimicking her frustration by rubbing his head. Tony, having felt the similar effects of the monotone drabble from his medical team, silences them finally and speaks.

"OKAY, we get it. There are no certainties with an unknown life form like this. Did you confirm his sentience?"

Another doctor, presumably of psychology or the such, stands and speaks. Adjusting her black silky skirt, Kitty enjoys the way the heels defines her calves and mentally compliments her physical fitness.

"After four exhaustive days of study, and his dubious attempts to play stupid, I estimate he is far above animal intelligence, and even most primates."

She pauses as the dragon rolls back over and glares at her with a cynical expression. She locks eyes with him in professional contempt for his endeavors, and finally continues.

"In my professional opinion he has a high level of intelligence, coupled with an extremely developed sense of humor and mischief."

Leaning down towards him, she sneers. "And despite your attempts to thwart my work…yes, I reviewed the footage of the times I stepped out and your exploits were well documented…he is equal to our intelligence and unafraid to express himself when he chooses to."

Flipping the blonde locks out of her face, she spins around and returns to her seat as Tony stands.

"Well Miss Pryde, your claims seem to be justified. As a displaced alien, he is afforded great leniency to stay on the planet. I will submit the paperwork tomorrow, but you can't stay in these apartments. The general public could freak out seeing a dragon flying around you or your apartment. Though small, a dragon will invite problems. And thanks to your superior performance from the previous week, I can no longer pay you at a simple computer scientist rate."

Tony notes the stress developing in Kitty and is genuinely surprised when the dragon climbs into her lap and stands defiantly protecting her. As tiny wisps of smoke begin to snake out of his nostrils, Tony pointing at him he continues.

"Calm down little guy. Kitty Pryde I am raising you to a Class B employee, and with that I am moving you to the secure living facility at Bright Towers. It's where all my uniquely talented employees live, and your performance has definitely proven that. I don't want to take you out of the computer science division, but you are making it difficult. Your talents in resolving difficult issues have proven that you are not just super smart, but multi-faceted."

Rubbing the small dragon's body reassuringly, Kitty leans forward to reply.

"Will he have unrestricted movement outside my room? I heard the entire facility is enclosed to include the park."

With a smirk, Tony nods.

"Absolutely. The only thing I ask is for him to respect other people's privacy. Every unit has a balcony overlooking the park."

Kitty's dragon coos in admiration. Tony shakes his head. "Oh, I see I have your attention now, huh? I'll send out a memo and ensure no one bothers him either. Does he have any dietary requirements?"

Kitty laughs out. "Yah he only eats seafood: any food he sees, he'll eat. Honestly, he only snacks on small things once or twice a day. He can eat four to five times his weight when he's hungry, but generally doesn't. He wiped out the stray dog and cat population around the apartment when he first arrived, but now he doesn't eat like that. He does like his steaks cooked rare to medium, and he can recognize a choice cut versus anything else. When I offered him a ribeye, he wanted my porterhouse."

As Tony's team gathers their gear up to leave, Kitty stops him to ask softly.

"How do they handle out of town visitors? I have a friend from the west coast who is planning to come stay with me for a week or so."

A firmly built woman, undoubtedly one of Mr. Stark's assistant, speaks from over his shoulder.

"They will need to get a background check accomplished beforehand and…"

The tall brunette reaches into her folder brief and extracts a stapled set of papers and hands it to Kitty as she continues.

"…it only takes a few weeks to get it accomplished. They will need to go to the website on the papers and get it done themselves. It's a good idea to also get your family to do it immediately, especially if they have a habit of dropping in unexpectantly, like mine do."

Tony shrugs. "Denise here will schedule the movers if you need them, and I'd like to add that I may have some more overtime coming up in a couple of months. It will take you away from your current work for at least a couple of months, unfortunately. The work site is extremely dangerous, and I need a sharp mind on scene, and I can't go. The Avengers are still young after that attack last month, and some out-of-town visitors are asking for my expert opinion. I'm still assembling my roster, but I'd like you there. You handled yourself better than average on my last job, so I like stacking the deck in my favor whenever I can."

Kitty shrugs.

"Wherever you need me, sir. Would my little friend be invited? I'd feel bad leaving him here all by himself and not too many people understand him."

Tony ponders it momentarily, before replying. "I think it would be an acceptable package deal. It's been shown he can bring a negligible level of fire power to the table and would enhance the team's capabilities. He'd have to accept the orders of the team leader, of course. Do you understand that little guy? I need a team player, not some wildcard hot-rocket."

The dragon nods firmly and manages to stick up his clawed thumb into the air at Tony. Shaking his head, Tony pauses before he nods affirmingly, and leaves with his staff, while leaving Denise behind to arrange Kitty's move.

From moving to impromptu training and meetings for the upcoming operation, Kitty was finally enjoying her first weekend to herself. The additional money she was paying for her suite was over fifty-percent more, the view and accommodations made it a steal. Housed on the tenth floor, of the thirty-story enclosed apartment building, the cylindrical building surrounded and contained the massive forest below. Though she couldn't see anyone across from her thanks to the gargantuanly-sized trees, the treetops obscured enough of her sight at her level. Though only one floor higher would give her an unrestricted view to the opposite apartments over two-thousand feet away, the treetop view made her excessively happy by making her feel like she wasn't crowded. With the facility below forty-percent of capacity, the commute was an hour away and it was a fine living situation for both her and her dragon.

Spending his evenings soaring through the trees or above them, the small dragon was more than content with his new surroundings. With the freedom to come and go from Kitty's apartment terrace, he would sometimes sleep in the trees as if he was reliving his youth. Sitting on her balcony, in just her robe, she enjoys her morning cup of coffee as the dragon swoops along the edges of the overhanging branches. Smiling, Kitty loses her morning watching his acrobatic feats, and is surprised when her phone rings. Extracting it from the pocket in her robe, she grins warmly as the image of Jenny fills the caller-ID screen and Kitty can't wait to answer it.

"Hey you! Sorry I didn't call you back yesterday, but they kept us in a meeting until late last night. They fed us, but I remember you saying you had to be at work early today, and I didn't want to bother you."

Jenny laughs as she replies. "Its okay! We had a busy schedule, but I wound up being bored out of my mind all day, so I got cut back early. I just wanted to let you know I got all that security paperwork done last week. I had a friend of mine in the security office help me complete it, and they were able to transfer my military security information over to it, and it took me less than an hour. Turns out when you have my clearances, everyone else's is a pushover. I got a confirmation receipt yesterday at work, that it was approved, and I will send it to you when I have good travel days set in stone. Are you still up a for a house guest for six days?"

Kitty beams out her rapture. "I can't wait! I still have the three-week block reserved, so just let me know your dates."

Jenny enthusiastically replies. "Will do!"

As the hours tick by, Kitty forgets the time and loses her day and night on the phone.

Taken from the sparring mats, Kitty was equally exhausted in the company's advanced weapons lab. Learning how to use a specially designed power armor suit which allowed her to extend and retract her claws, fighting inside of it was beyond taxing. When the situation called on her to use her phasing ability, more often than not she slipped out of her suit ending the exercise abruptly. Working alongside six others including War Machine, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk, Kitty lost a week just trying to be comfortable around the famous heroes. Told they wouldn't be accompanying her on the mission, she was worried who would be. Finally, by the end of the month when she had mastered phasing with her powered armor suit and the previous heroes were gone. Told the new team had experience in combat did little to reassure Kitty's nerves.

From a lab room, a tall and slim brunette in her mid-thirties was toiling with a multi-appendage power-suit. With eight writhing arms, it seemed to have a life of its own as the woman worked on the empty suit and Kitty couldn't help but feel apprehension seeing the black and pink armor on the tall woman. Though only a few inches taller than her, the purple-tinged hair was once a great dye-job but had been allowed to grow out since signing on. Like with Kitty's armor, hers was a full pressurized suit designed for use in all environments including space. Going by the code name of Lady Octopus, she had a mean streak which put her predecessor to shame. While as brilliant as the man who first took the similar name, she felt protecting her world spoke louder than her own needs and signed up for Stark's new team. Though she had experience in defeating petty global terrorists, the threats Mr. Stark described made the earth's villains seem like elementary school bullies.

As Kitty finds her station to suit-up, another woman strides inside to take the station alongside Kitty's. Wearing a black latex-style suit, the Hispanic woman grins slyly as she passes Kitty making Kitty raise an eyebrow as she tries to refrain from admiring the young woman's admirable shape. A few inches shy of Kitty's five-foot eight-inch stature, the young woman lacked any discernable excess and was so fit Kitty had a difficult time admiring her devotion and decided to concentrate on her following week's plans with Jenny. Stopping mid-step, she turns to face Kitty.

"We haven't been introduced. I'm Anya Corazon, but you can call me Araña. You must be our burglar, Shadow Cat?"

Shaking her head, Kitty stands and takes the woman's hand. After a firm shake, Kitty replies.

"First of all, I've never stolen a thing in my life except maybe a couple of hearts, and the theft was mutually shared. I simply have a knack to get into difficult places and avoid getting caught. And when push comes to shove, I can get myself out of trouble as fast as I got into it."

Grinning loudly the woman tosses her head towards their counterpart and continues.

"The anti-social gal across the room is Carolyn Trainer. She has all these geeky degrees and has too many anger issues to cover in one conversation."

Kitty raises an eyebrow. "You mean PhD Doctor Carolyn Trainer, computer genius and physicist?"

From across the room, Carolyn stops her gloomy tinkering and raises her head to take notice of Kitty and nods appreciatively. Araña grins as she shakes her head.

"Oh, don't tell me you're a computer nerd too?"

Laughing, Kitty nods.

"Guilty. Aside from my computer skills, I am quite adept at dealing with other aspects and challenges which come from both on and off our world. Mr. Stark wanted me here as backup for his scientists. When we are all geeking out, security lapses can occur and he wanted me here as a wolf in sheep's clothing, so to speak."

From across the room, a roaring voice carries to them as her solid footfalls crack on the tiled floor. In a power armor similar to War Machine's, the woman with her short blonde buzz-cut doesn't impress Kitty at all as she barks out at them.

"And that's why she underwent weeks of advanced training with the Avengers before we got here. You two should listen to her when she gives advice. I did a read of her last top-secret mission and I'm simply amazed she's even breathing. She's a tough survivor, despite being a 'nerd' as you put it; I wish I had ten just like her. Now you two civ'ies have to unlearn all your bad habits, and Miss Pryde and I are going to help with that. Questions? Good, lets suit up and get to work."

Watching them jump into their environmental suits, Kitty steps backwards and closes her eyes as the suit envelopes her as she steps into each boot and she accepts the mental interfaces the armor initiates. With a welcoming voice, Kitty speaks to the onboard computer.

"Good morning Dru. How are your systems?"

The computer replies in an equally pleasant feminam voice, very similar to Mr. Stark's office manager, Pepper. Though she only spoke to her a couple of times, she found the voice extremely pleasing and comforting.

"I'm in top condition, actually. I haven't had any issues with my thruster package since they changed it out last week, and all my systems are at one-hundred percent. Are you going to be doing much flying today or this just combat exercises?"

Kitty tests her reactions within the suit and walks out of the changing bay.

"I think we're doing more team training, but these military goofs are calling the shots. Who's the blonde Rambo?"

"Ah, the Rambina is one Lieutenant Molly Kringle. She's a Marine, with several tours in combat. She's listed as 'Active Duty' so she must be with Colonel Stewart's brigade now."

Kitty strides into the training bay, and sees a dozen scientists in their encounter suits, similar to Kitty's. Though the looks said she was just another scientist, the secret weapons packages and improved performance engines allowed her to hold her own in a real fight, while the other scientists would have been slaughtered. With specific orders not to use any of her weapons in front of the others, she had to play like the defenseless little kitty until she had no other choice to preserve life. Knowing the Colonel was briefed, she wondered if this lieutenant received the same briefing. Joining the other scientists, Kitty walks with Lady Octopus and Araña and spins around to face the eight military warriors armored up. In armor similar to Molly's, they raise their face shields and motion for everyone to come close to them.

"Okay, today we are going into the advanced tactics of using your armor. Some of you have already completed it, and to some haven't. So, help each other out. My people will help as well, and we'll get through this without too many bruises. Lieutenant?"

Nodding, Molly steps forward and addresses the scientists.

"Okay people, I'm Lieutenant Kringle. My CO, Colonel Stewart, is afraid that if and when things turn ugly, you could be our first casualties. We are going to practice your suit operations and basic escape and evasion skills. My people are tasked to protect you, but they can only do that if you are adept at using your suits. Next, Katherine Pryde, in the blue-black armor next to you, is my security liaison as well as Stark's computer scientist. Being a civilian not too long ago, she understands the way we military types work, and knows when to take orders. More to the point, she just went through some rigorous military indoctrinating and will be in charge of the civilian staff's security when the military isn't around. If she tells you not to wander off, you obey! When she gives advice, I don't care how humiliating it is for a junior woman and employee to give you orders, but you will obey or you can and will DIE! If too many of you die, it will look bad in my report, and I hate writing! Next to her in the black and blue armor with a large spider on her chest is Anya Corazon. Spider-Girl is Katherine's number two person regarding your protection and safety and that leaves Katherine's number one. Outside of her prestigious field of computers and physics, Doctor Carolyn Trainer is Katherine's primary go-to person in keeping your smart-asses alive. Her unique black and pink, multi-appendage armor should make it obvious who she is. When there is a lack of threats or danger, they will work alongside you, leading, aiding and/or assisting in your research, allowing Spider-Girl to keep her eyes open for trouble at all times. Now, let's begin by checking how your basic suit operation skills look, and then we'll turn off the gravity."

After peeling themselves out of their suits, the three women hit the showers alongside the three military women who were in the combat environmental suits. As Kitty rushes through her shower, she can't help but notice the numerous scars and wounds the lieutenant bore from her years in service. From the regular bullet wounds along her arms and legs, Kitty couldn't help but notice the abdominal scars from an explosive device and associated burns. Overall, she seemed to have mentally endured the wounds which would have debilitated most; not just physically, but emotionally. Noticing a wedding band on her left hand, Kitty grins knowing that she somehow made time for stuff outside of military duty and doctrine. As she changes back into her slacks and blouse, she looks up to see Anya stopped by her area looking down at her, the only time she could that is. Being about five-foot-three, she was hardly small in personality and had no issues expressing herself.

"Chica! What are you doing this weekend? My girls and I are going to hit a few exclusive clubs, and I was wondering if you were up for it?"

Looking left and right, Kitty checks to see who's in earshot and replies in Spanish.

"My girlfriend from the west coast is flying in tonight. All I planned to do to this week was show her around the area, and I'm not sure if she'll be up for clubbing. Is 'exclusive' another name for gender-exclusive?"

Wearing a huge grin, Anya nods as she continues in Spanish as well.

"Yes…my Gay-dar pinged you big-time. Oddly enough, it didn't go off on our leader over there. You two are awfully similar in builds, but something doesn't feel right about her."

Nodding, Kitty stands and grabs her gym bag.

"That's because she's married to one Lieutenant Carl Kringle, ex-marine and U.S. military consultant to the U.N. Security Council. This is supposed to be her last tour of duty, and she's to medically retire or separate. She's got enough wounds and damage to qualify or whatever the military calls it. Anyways, she wants to have a family and military service only screws with those kinds of plans, as one of the sergeants was saying. I was listening in on several side communication lines while we were training and overheard them talking. The other female sergeant is super-gay, and her comrades have no problems with it because she's proven herself in combat already. You should get with her about this weekend. Us girls have to network at every opportunity, especially in this line of work."

Nodding as she laughs, she hardly notices Doctor Trainer come up behind and wrap her arm around Anya and Kitty's shoulders.

"Hey! I'm all for palling-up after work but gossiping about the ranking military officers is only going to cause issues with this group. All the suits have universal translators and…"

Switching to Spanish she continues. "….Spanish is far more commonly spoken than it used to be."

Nodding stiffly, Kitty and Anya agree with her, and walk out tight-lipped. Turning into an adjacent conference room, they find their seats alongside their military and civilian staff, most already seated. Noticing several key Stark Corporation staff seated at the front, Kitty ponders why Mr. Stark himself isn't present. As she wonders, the famous Colonel Stewart arrives making all the military rise to attention, while the civilians simply stand respectfully before he has everyone take their seats once more.

"Thank you for sticking around so late. Because it is a Friday, I will keep this brief. We wanted to let you know our time tables will be accelerated up by months. Rather than having the next six months in training, we are moving you all to our West coast lab in twelve days. Fortunately, you won't have to move all your stuff there because we will only be there for three days until our ride picks us up at SWORD's lunar station. There we will head on to meet our contact in another part of space. I'm keeping a hold of all the particulars for now, as security isn't as foolproof here groundside. Once we are underway, we will fully brief you on your duties and our mission's parameters. I can say that you are to evaluate an unknown item which our hosts believe has some Earth connection. Therefore, we are loading up all our various geniuses into one ship so that we don't have to come back and get anyone. Some of you may have no purpose other than assisting someone else, even though you are a department head. You're getting paid to do your job or not. We just don't know what this thing is, and our hosts are very leery of saying too much. They have mentioned numerous external factions are equally interested in our involvement and could hamper our research. So rather than bring it here, we are going to it. I can't answer any questions until we are underway, but I did want to give you heads up on our accelerated timeline. All right. Go home and prepare for departure in two weeks. That is all."

As everyone rises and quickly departs, Kitty lingers as she is lost in her thoughts. With her senses telling her that her presence on this mission was no accident, she knew it was going to be life changing to say the least. Not only had she visited the moon, but she was now going to travel outside the solar system and visit another planet or culture. Filled with exhilaration rather than fear, she felt her destiny was calling to her. Something deep inside her something was burning, and she couldn't conceive of the meanings. Even as she picked up Jenny at the airport, deep in the recesses of her soul she was pondering the ominous fate waiting for her far away in another part of the universe. Though she pulled her head out of the clouds long enough to enjoy her time with Jenny, deep down, she knew she wouldn't be satiated until they were at their destination.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Out of the frying pan…again**

Floating in the fluidic universe of her mind, Kitty remembers her recovery from her Vibranium treatments and recalls how similar she felt afterwards. Feeling like she was unsticking herself from the protective dreamworld and searching for firm ground in reality, she struggled to find cohesion. Worse, she momentarily felt like she was stuck out of phase with the universe, a common nightmare from her youth. Though she had never experienced a permanent state of out-of-phase, she always knew when she released her breath she would return to the real world and resume living solidly. Unsure of the foundation of her fears, she couldn't deny how scary the prospect seemed when she considered it. Nonetheless, fear was fear, no matter how real or irrational it may seem. As she tries once more to establish a firm grip on reality, a gentle brush against her cheek soothes her and she embraces the soft touch and relaxes her body once more. As she asks where she's at, Jenny's soft voice shushes her and repeats her question.

"Why are you here again? You never finished explaining your mission's purpose."

Feeling the warmth of Jenny's naked body against her chest, Kitty purrs as she replies.

"I told you its classified sweetie. Besides it was a waste of time because we never got to see what we were supposed to see. Our hosts never showed at the rendezvous coordinates, and we wound up just wandering around for a month until…until…well, I don't know how long we wandered. Why don't I remember the specifics…"

Jenny once more quiets her and asks a different question.

"Its okay honey, that's not important. Who were you supposed to meet?"

Shaking her head as an image of their intended contact momentarily drifts into her mind, Kitty forces the image to disappear while stuttering her reply.

"I…I don't know who he was. Just an alien creature, I can't remember anything specific. As the image is forcibly recalled, Kitty manages to repress his image and forces an image of Jenny to flood her thoughts. An air of annoyance fills Jenny's voice as she counters.

"You almost remembered that time. Try harder this time Katherine."

Hearing her full name instead of 'Kitty' slaps at her senses and she throws up a mental barrier forcing the warm sensations of Jenny's body to disappear coldly and creating a hurtful void in its wake.

Sitting over the restrained figure of Katherine Pryde, a green and black scaled man growls in frustration as he is kicked out of the young woman's mind once more. From over his shoulder, his apparent supervisor chuckles at the subordinates continued failure.

"This 'simpleton' is far beyond your inferior skills. Perhaps I should get Marga or Deorg and you can go back interrogating the children we recovered two systems back. They seem more your size."

Standing angrily, the creature growls in defiance.

"She has been prepared for this type of probing. She knows how to mask her thoughts when forcibly probed and can erect barriers I've never seen before! Its like she's been conditioned to endure this level of interrogation. She's not a telepath but has the skills of one! This should be a menial task for anyone, but she is a gatekeeper. She has the secrets and instinctively knows how keep anyone from wandering around inside her head. The last time I pushed too hard, she fried the circuits and we had to replace the unit. FINE! If you feel that this is too complex for me, you do it and then we'll talk about how easy it is!"

Disgruntled, the pair storm out of the room, leaving Kitty in her black yoga shorts and top attached to the machine. As the doors seal behind them, A small purple creature ducks inside, swishing his long tail through moments before the doors seal. Clinging to the ceiling, it constantly hides its true shape until it is sure it is alone. Catapulting across the room, he lands on the chair the alien was on, and looks over the control panel. Reading the symbols, he presses a series of buttons and grins as Kitty's restraints release and she groans as the mental bonds are weakened enough for her to regain consciousness. As her eyes flutter open, she smiles warmly seeing her dragon on the chair beside her.

"Are you the one I can thank for freeing me? Thank you."

With a strong up and down nod, he leaps to the edge of the chamber and allows her to give him a warm rub across his back. Sitting up, she looks around for her armor, but isn't surprised that it isn't around. Looking over the control panel, she looks at him once more.

"Why do I get the feeling you can make sense of this stuff?"

As she slips out, she lets the small dragon climb atop her left shoulder as she tentatively leaves the room. Whispering to him as she clings to the shadows, she is surprised when she is missed by a busy alien paying too much attention to his data pad.

"All right little guy. I'm going to have to phase through a wall or two if that happens again. Once is about the only chance we're given here. I don't think we'll run into too many half-witted aliens like that again. Besides, I don't think my heart can take that abuse again. My memory is blank as to how we got here, but small tidbits are coming back. We walked right into a trap, from what I can remember, but how I went from all suited up to laying down as a lab rat is missing. You found anyone else yet?"

The small dragon shakes his head negatively as Kitty partially phases through a wall and checks each room she passes. On the fourth room, she ducks inside and looks at an open display. Noticing a female outline over a skeleton, she can't miss the retracted forearm blades shown within.

"Why are they this interested in me? I guess its too much to ask for you to read and interpret this stuff? Even if you could read it, you couldn't tell me what it means. Is there any way to download this stuff to a media storage device from here?"

Effortlessly, the dragon leaps from her shoulder to the panel and begins tapping buttons furiously and extracts a green cylinder from the side of the panel. Handing it to Kitty, she shakes her head as he catapults back to her shoulder. Looking at the panel, she sees all the data had been wiped as well.

"When we're in a safe place and not being hunted on an alien ship, we're going to sit down and have a talk. You've been holding back on me, big-time."

Reading the apprehension across his body, he nods in agreement and remains attached to Kitty as she phases into the adjacent room. Passing through three more rooms, she stops abruptly and ducks back.

"Okay, I found a few of scientists and it looks like Doctor Trainer is there too. They have no guards, but is there anyway we can access any shipboard systems to help us look around? I want to get in there and help them, but I'm not too thrilled about getting recaptured in the process."

Nodding, the dragon leaps from her shoulder once more and begins tapping the buttons of the panel. In a moment, the screen shows the room and the doors unlocking. Flipping the image to the outside corridor, she sees two guards chatting lightly and seem unaware of the unlocking of the doors. As he turns to show what he's done Kitty stops him and replies.

"Okay, but how do we get off this ship. Its no point in freeing them if we can't get everyone off the ship. They are eventually going to notice I'm loose and begin doing exactly what you're doing."

Noticing him huff in frustration, he pulls up the rest of the ship's schematics and shows her where the different members of the crew are being confined. When Kitty begins to mention most of the military are missing, she sees him cringe and reluctantly brings up a room filled with rubbish and debris. Zooming in, she discerns dozens of prone and limp forms amongst the trash and her heart sinks dramatically. With no decency or concern, the bodies were simply thrown out with yesterday's trash replacing Kitty's pain with raw anger.

Getting control of her temper she looks at her small dragon and seethes with more calm than she believed she could muster.

"Once again, we're going to have words about you holding back information from me. I get it that you only have concerns for me, but I'd like to think we humans stick together when everything goes bad. We don't leave anyone behind that is within our ability to rescue. There are eleven military bodies there, leaving two unaccounted for. Are they in any of the interrogation rooms like I was?"

Shrugging the dragon zips through the screens until he finds Colonel Stewart and Lieutenant Kringle strapped down like Kitty was. Seeing him with a deathly null expression, the dragon points to a series of displayed numbers and shakes his head in a grim expression. Kitty hates she has to ask her next question.

"Does that mean he's dead?"

With an affirming nod, he resumes his search and points at the display of a distant corridor. Looking at the empty hall, she starts to ask when she stops abruptly when a slim figure passes beside the ceiling-mounted down-facing camera making Kitty grin appreciatively.

"Way to go Anya. Where's that at? Pointing to an adjacent corridor, Kitty tells him to standby and carefully slips out of the room. Twenty seconds later, she slips back in through the far wall, tugging Spider-Girl with her. Dressed in a full black bodysuit worm under the armor, she seems more prepared for their escape than Kitty. Taken back by the sensation of passing through solid matter, she momentarily shivers when Kitty lets her go safely inside the room.

"Oh, that is so freaky, Kitty! How in the hell can you do that so nonchalantly? Oh!"

Surprised to see Kitty's dragon sitting behind the computer console going through the system, she looks at Kitty confused.

"Okay…what gives? Did you teach him how to work the systems?"

Noticing the purple dragon roll his eyes, Kitty fights from laughing out loud.

"Afraid not. My little friend has been holding back on me and is responsible for freeing me. More of our people are in the next room, but it looks like our ship is not really an option for escape. Too many of these aliens are between it and us. Got any ideas? Almost all the military are dead, except for Rambolina. She's alive for now, but the Colonel is dead. I'm not sure how much information they pulled out of him, but my little friend is scrounging the databases; for what, I have no idea."

As if on cue, the dragon coos appreciatively and points at the screen. Looking it over Kitty can't believe that he found the remaining crew. Noticing a bright pink-skinned alien in a cell with the surviving ship's crew of six, Kitty double checks the location and nods.

"Okay, I'd like to get those people first and a few weapons. We get everyone we can into our ship, and the last ones we get will be the LT. She will cause the biggest furor over being released."

Anya nods as she replies. "It's a great plan, but we need our gear. You might be able to take a few heavy blasts, but the rest of us will be just get splattered on the deck. How about we run to the ship, get our armor, and then expedite everyone's release. At least this time we won't get caught coming out of the shower, and we'll be fully geared up when we have to take them on."

Kitty shakes her head. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about, but it sounds legit. Fine. Let's grab our Lady Octopus, and she can suit up herself. She's got too much crap she wears. I'll be right back."

Standing, she walks through the wall, and returns a second later holding Carolyn's hand. In a similar outfit as Anya, Kitty looks at her and asks in a disgruntled tone.

"How come I'm the only one walking around in practically just her underwear?"

Carolyn shirks backwards. "What do you mean? They caught all of us as we were resting. The claxons went off and I was able to get partially suited up before they shot up our armor. You don't remember any of that?"

Anya replies for her bewildered companion. "They got to her already. They must have really screwed up her memory. She's lucky to be alive. Most of them are brain dead once they are through."

Kitty shrugs. "My dragon freed me. I guess they had issues with their equipment or something and stopped. Oh! Mr. Stark said he loaded an extra armor set in storage for all of us. We should hit the cargo room and suit up there."

Seeing the mutual nods, Kitty takes their hands and walks them through the walls. Taking a moment to search the corridors before stepping out, Kitty is surprised there aren't more random patrols. In minutes, she is stepping through the wall of the flight bay, and seeing their large spaceship parked away from dozens of other smaller craft. Though the smaller craft were obvious troop carriers, they were barely a tenth the size and length of their host's spaceship they arrived on. Kitty felt odd remembering the fine details of their journey yet lacking any memory of their capture. Discerning dozens of large areas of battle damage, she realizes their captors cut their way into the ship in order to capture them. Making their way around the bay without drawing anyone's attention, they slip down through the belly of the ship, to arrive just below their ship. Fighting making any noise as she gasps for breath, Kitty has everyone wait until she'd caught her breath before taking their hands once more and catapulting them upwards into their ship. After they navigate through the cargo bay, it takes them ten minutes before they finish unpacking their emergency reserve suits. Though they are not as grand as their first suits, they all the basic abilities plus some enhancements not seen in the first versions. As Kitty gets her helmet on, she is surprised to hear her computer's same voice begin talking.

"Well, I'm glad you're still in one piece. I'm in several large sections strewn on the floor upstairs. I'm detecting severe brain trauma in you; all your synapses are enflamed and raw."

Kitty growls as she replies. "Yah, I have a bad headache after using my phasing ability. Did you always have this capacity to do a detailed medical scan?"

With her dry tone, the computer calmly replies. "In this model, yes. Your original unit was made for combat, and Mr. Stark figured if you were using me, things went horribly bad. I don't have as many of the weapon systems as the previous model, but I am twenty-percent faster, and move about eighteen-percent faster to your neural inputs. That's how come I can scan your brain. Spider-Girl's suit is built the same way."

"Well, we're about to execute a jail break for the survivors. All but one of the military types are dead, and we're going to get everyone we can in here and break out. You up for this?"

With her calm demeanor, the suit's computer replies. "That's what I'm here for. Most of my external armaments can be attached simply by slapping them on me. It might be a good idea to jump upstairs and see what's salvageable."

Nodding, Kitty gets her two armored friends to follow her to the carnage of their last fight. Looking over the debris, the computer has her recover dozens of small parts of the old suit and throw them into a gym bag. Going to a locker, the computer tells them how to attach small needle guns to their arm bracers, giving them an extra thousand rounds of ammunition should they need it. With little else to do, Kitty stops at her station and notices the small metal compact and headphones Jenny had given her the day she left. Tucking the item onto a utility belt, she moves on and joins her team by the ship's exterior hatch.

From the safety of an observation room, Gultho Fai'Arn couldn't believe that despite four rounds of reconditioning, the simple alien woman was still revealing hidden flaws in their security methods and procedures. With the most recent simulation, he decided to test her against the live video and situational status of the ship. Not only had she avoided detection, but he discovered she had two more undiscovered allies running loose in the ship. The additional female and a small Quaksi dragon was an element he never imagined and threw all his calculations out the door. Making adjustments had little effect on her success thrilling him beyond his ability to contain his raw elation. As his supervisor Grendel enters the room, he grins and is nearly jumping in his seat with excitement.

"She's done it again! Right now, she's rescued all of the scientists, and has them on their ship with the flight crew. This is incredible! At the moment, she's killing all our security to reach the military female we're downloading next door. I wanted to challenge her, so I put the woman next to the bridge and she's already exceeded all my expectations! When can I begin the recruitment programming? I can't wait to add her to our ranks!"

Shaking his head negatively, Grendel sighs in frustration. "Don't. I just got word that Ronan wants to keep her sedated until he arrives. Then, and only then, will he make the determination whether she should be terminated. The metal in her skeleton is 'unique' and might be of great value or something. Those energy signatures you kept picking up are from the metal inside of her and might mean she's not entirely human after all. Keep running the simulations, it will keep her busy. We have six short cycles until he gets here, so we can at least reap the rewards of a major review of our methods, even if we can't have her as a part of our crew."

Defeated, he nods and resumes observing her destruction of their ship and crew. Taking a moment to look over the small device Katherine picked up in the simulation, he now understood it was an image and music player, not some kind of portable mind warping device as he feared. Laughing as he watches some of his least popular crew members being slaughtered by her claws and wit, he resumes taking notes to improve their security procedures. From over his head, a small purple dragon braces himself as he digs his claws into the ceiling and takes in a huge breath. Releasing a gigantic roar, Gultho jumps out of his seat in terror. He never seriously considered the dragon could find her; and with him suddenly a few feet away, his capacity to apply reason fails him. Scrambling towards the door, he makes it two feet from the door before he collapses dead from the continuous stream of fire. Leaping to the console, the small dragon takes a minute to look it over before pressing a series of buttons. Initiating another series of commands, he nods to himself as the computer accepts the commands. With satisfaction, he grins as he leaps into the air and flies over to Kitty's side.

Awakening, Kitty sees the small dragon cooing over her, obviously happy to see her and rubs his neck reassuringly.

"Are you the one I can thank for rescuing me…again?"

As he nods in agreement, Kitty pauses as she fights back the Déjà vu striking her. Shaking her head, she pauses to think, and realizes someone had been messing with her memory. Sitting up, she starts to speak only to pause as she sees the smoking remains lying by the door.

"Okay…I take it this wasn't as clean of an escape as the first time."

Confused, the dragon cocks his head sideways and peers into Kitty's eyes concerned. Patting his side, Kitty climbs out of the chamber and looks down at her attire. Dressed in the same top and shorts as in her first escape, Kitty growls.

"Figures. We need to see if we can find the rest of team and escape. It won't take them long to start a search especially after they discover his remains. In my dreams they had the lieutenant on the bridge level and the rest of the interrogations on this one. Let's look around at the rooms next to us first and go from there. Don't suppose you can operate any of these consoles to help us check the ship?"

The dragon shrugs then extends his hand showing a tiny gap between his thumb and fore-claw. Laughing, Kitty nods.

"Figures I couldn't get that lucky. Let's check out the adjoining rooms first. I don't want to be around when they come and check on our over-cooked French fry there."

As she rises to go next door through the wall, her dragon suddenly stops her and hands her a small metal block with wires dangling. Kitty erupts in a massive smile seeing Jenny's departure gift, and she rubs the dragon's neck appreciatively.

"Thanks, little guy! I'm going to have to give you a name or something. Think of what you'd like to be called that I can pronounce, because just calling you little guy, or dragon, or such just isn't good enough anymore. You deserve a better title than 'you' or 'it.' Until then, we'll make do but after we get out of this mess, we'll sit down and figure something out. That sound okay with you?"

With a firm nod, he settles down on her bare shoulder and hugs her neck as they pass through the wall and into the next room. With little cover in the room, she notices their female officer strapped onto the bed similar to Kitty, and an alien operative intently working over her in a control helmet. Too focused on the task, he doesn't even get a chance to scream as Kitty punches him in the head, cracking the helmet. Knocked unconscious, he lays sprawled out on the floor as the young woman regains consciousness in the chamber. Dressed similarly to Kitty, she shakes the lingering pain of her mental defilement and snarls at the fiend laying by her feet. Resisting the urge to strike him while down, she lets Kitty lead her away barefooted to an adjacent room.

Looking over the charred remains of the mental re-conditioner, or the scraper formerly known as Gultho, Grendel shakes his head in frustration and stands erect. With an authoritarian stance he motions for his assistant to go to the console and review the time stamps. Watching the young assistant shake his head in frustration, he storms to his side and shoves him aside to review the data himself. Growling as he discovers the same situation his assistant discovered moments prior, he screams out loud before addressing his superior across the room.

"It happened a few moments after I left. Worse, that damn little Quaksi dragon wiped the entire database of all our work! We've got NOTHING! Nothing on Pryde or the rest of her compatriots! It's all gone!"

Restraining his temper better than his minion, Gormoran sighs as if he was carrying tons of stone across his shoulders. With an unusually broad chest and shoulders, the man could twist Gredel's head off his shoulders with little effort. Remembering Quaksi dragons were renowned for their great intellects and prone to catastrophic mischief, the discovery truly didn't surprise him.

"So…you're telling me a human female and Quaksi dragon have been running amuck in my ship for over twenty gimmets and we are only now finding out about it? Gultho has already paid the price of his failure, if you do not locate them quickly, I'll be looking for two new scrapers not just one."

From in front of their ship, Kitty urges the last of the scientists and crew aboard as the local security troops deploy around them to recapture them. Suited up in her back-up armor, Kitty didn't like that they couldn't find Anya. Holding back as long as they could, she was about to tell them to leave when she saw their Spider-Girl crawl through a faraway airlock, only to get shot as she tried to run for the ship. Finding cover behind a stack of armored crates, she motions to leave without her as she painfully cringes from her shoulder wound. Shaking her head, she yells to Carolyn to hold departure until she gets back and picks up Anya's spare suit in her left arm and picks up the alien assault rifle. As she charges out of the ship's hold, she holds the trigger down as she runs, not counting how many of the aliens she shoots. As flames shoot out from above, Kitty reaches Anya's hiding spot in seconds. Seeing she's only got the shoulder wound, she has the suit gobble her up safely and turns to leave.

In horror she watches their ship lift off the deck and spin a hundred and eighty degrees before igniting their primary thrusters tossing the assembled troops across the open deck like paper in the wind. One blink of an eye later their only hope of escape rockets clear and disappears. The shudder of their departure heralds a more serious state as warning claxons erupt and the deck begins to rend and tear from the unseen forces from such a rapid escape. Kitty is beyond words as she gathers up Anya in her arms to comfort her on their final moments alive. Feeling a strong smack against the side of her helmet, Kitty looks up to see her dragon motion towards a wing-shaped ship parked nearby. As she starts to protest and explain she can't fly it, the urgency of the small creature makes her abandon reason and follow him as he leads her inside of it. The red and gold paint scheme reminded her of Iron Man's outfit, and she feels it must be a good omen as they run up the rear hatch as it closes behind them. Setting Anya down on the deck, she follows her dragon and sees him sitting in the forward cockpit.

Jumping into the seat beside him, she buckles in as he finishes the start up sequences and lifts the craft off the deck. With her jaw dangling open, she suddenly snaps it closed as he spins the ship around and out of the buckling cruiser. Just like in the simulations on the ship, Kitty leans over and seethes to her small dragon friend.

"When we're all safe, we're going to have to have a conversation about your new-found skill set. Got it?"

In a defeated hunching of his shoulders, the small dragon nods weakly and begins programming a destination into the flight computer. Unable to read the writing, Kitty can do little but sit quietly as they suddenly slip from one location to another eluding any hopes anyone might have of following them. As they travel faster than light, Kitty rises and goes to look into Anya's condition. Finding her exactly where she left her, she has her suit diagnose her, even as the young woman lies asleep in the pressure suit. To her surprise, Dru reassures her.

"Her suit is healing the injuries, but sedated her due to the extreme pain she was in. You cannot do much more other than wait another four hours until it wears off. It seems our little dragon is now our pilot on this mission. Does this mean you are abandoning our last mission parameters…seeing that they abandoned you three?"

Growling, Kitty heads back to the cockpit talking to her suit.

"I'm going to kick Carolyn's ass when I get my hands on her. Her self-preservation instincts overrode her team building skills, and she'll have to pay for that later. For now, we need to find a safe port to get our bearings. Is there anyway you can translate any of this writing? Its very similar to the writing I saw on that ship, but I still can't read a word of it."

With a negative response, the suit reminds her that it is the emergency suit and was limited on the variety of software which was loaded. As she slips into the seat behind her dragon, she brings up a menu and lets the suit analyze it. Repositioning to the forward flight chair beside the dragon, she watches intently as he makes numerous adjustments and inquiries, allowing her computer to begin to slowly decipher the meanings. As he brings them out of another faster-than-light maneuver, Kitty sucks in the air as she gazes out the forward window. Looming in front of them, a gigantic head floats in space making her melt back in her seat mortified.


End file.
